No money to repatriate, maid's body in UAE hospital for 7 months

Dubai - Maid's body languishes in morgue as family seeks help.

Ismail Sebugwaawo

Published: Mon 18 Jan 2021, 7:36 PM

Last updated: Mon 18 Jan 2021, 8:01 PM

A Ugandan housemaid died of cardiac arrest in Fujairah seven months ago, but her body is sill languishing in the hospital morgue due to lack of money for repatriation. Her poor family back home is now appealing for help from the UAE residents.

According to the death certificate issued by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Mayimuna Nassali, 37, passed away on June 18, 2020 at Fujairah Hospital.

Her family back home was informed about her death but airports in Uganda were shut by then due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Through her Ugandan friend living in the UAE, the family asked the hospital to keep the body so they can arrange for her repatriation when the airports reopen and after they have raised the money to take it back home.

Nassali is survived by her four small children and parents, who are in Uganda. Her parents are keen on having her body repatriated so the kids can have the chance of attending their mother’s burial.

The deceased had left her kids with her parents and come to the UAE to do the job of a housemaid, so she could take care of her family after separation from her husband.

The airports in Uganda had resumed operations back in August last year. But since then, Nassali’s family has failed to raise the money required to transport her body back home.

Abdala Luyimbazi, a Dubai resident who is now getting the repatriation papers to send the body to Uganda, told Khaleej Times that the deceased’s relatives have only managed to raise Dh3,000 out of the Dh10,000 required for the entire repatriation process.

“The total amount needed for the repatriation process is Dh10,000. This includes air tickets, embalming the body, hiring an ambulance from Fujairah to Muhaisnah in Dubai and handling fees. The hospital had waived off the medical bills of the patient,” said Luyimbazi.

He and Nassali’s family are seeking help from the UAE residents so that the body can be repatriated back home.

Those wishing to help can contact Luyimbazi on 0558273097.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com