Pakistani expat in coma to be repatriated from UAE

Fahim Afsar Khan will be repatriated to Pakistan with the help of the Pakistan Consulate.

Five months of unpaid salary and the stress of not being able to support his family back home were too much for Pakistani national Fahim Afsar Khan to handle.
The restaurant worker, 33, suffered a brain haemorrhage due to the stress three months ago. Since then, he has been in a coma and on a ventilator at Kuwait Hospital in Sharjah.
Fahim would have ended up as another statistic had it not been for his cousin, Tariq Mahmood, who asked the Pakistan Consulate-General in Dubai to intervene. "I got worried after I was not able to get in touch with my cousin for a few days," Tariq told Khaleej Times.
Tariq, a Dubai-based businessman, eventually found out that Fahim was at the hospital.
"It was a worrisome scenario. Even though Fahim is being taken care of, he hasn't come out of the coma for the past three months despite the doctors trying," he said, adding that his cousin has been working in the UAE for the past seven years.
According to Fahim's medical reports, he has suffered a brain haemorrhage and he is not likely to come out of coma anytime soon.
"Doctors have said it would be best for him to be with his family since he might need medical help for a long period," said Tariq.
Fahim is from Kashmir and has four children. "Since I cannot afford to have him transported back, I sought the help of the consulate," said Tariq.
A spokesperson from the Dubai Consulate said they started working on repatriating the Pakistani national after the case was brought to their attention recently.
"We have provided the patient with all the technical help and consular services required," said the spokesperson.
"We are also providing flight tickets and a nurse to accompany the patient, and we have made arrangements for the provision of an oxygen tank and a stretcher that will be required during the journey."
On top of the family's repatriation concern, hospital bills are also mounting on a daily basis, especially because Fahim is on a ventilator. "We still owe the hospital Dh150,000, which I have no idea how to clear," said Tariq.
"But I am thankful that the consulate has taken the responsibility of taking my cousin back home. His family is relieved," he said.
Fahim is set to be sent to Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
"We are just waiting for a no-objection certificate from the family and the hospital in Islamabad for them to affirm that they are ready to accept Fahim as a patient there," said Tariq.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai

Asma Ali Zain

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com