Woman waiting for repatriation delivers quadruplets in Dubai hospital

Suliyac Abdulkareem in hospital after C-section.

Dubai - Babies safe and healthy; mounting hospital bills worry family as mother doesn't have insurance.

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by Anjana Sankar

Published: Fri 3 Jul 2020, 5:15 PM

A Nigerian woman in Dubai who delivered quadruplets while waiting for repatriation is staring at mounting hospital bills as she does not have medical insurance. 
Suliyac Abdulkareem, 29, underwent a C-section at a Dubai government hospital on Wednesday night, and the mother and babies are safe and healthy, her husband Cijani Adigun Shakiru, 33, told Khaleej Times.
 "I can't even begin to tell how happy I am. I am the luckiest man that I get to be the father of four lovely babies," said Shakiru, who works as a chef.
"They are two boys and two girls. We will name the boys Pride and Alesi, and the girls Susseh and Almonc." said the father.
The doctor attending to the case confirmed that the mother is doing fine and the babies are placed in incubator as they were delivered premature.
Shakiru said he was at work when his wife went into labour. "She took a taxi herself and went to the hospital. They doctors immediately attended to her and by the grace of God, she delivered at 11.45pm."
But for the young couple, the joy of becoming parents for the first time is marred by the worries of meeting the hospital bills. According to doctors at the hospital, it would cost anything between Dh1,500 to Dh4,000 per day for each baby.
"You are talking about thousands of dirhams and I cannot afford it," said Shakiru. He said he earns Dh3,000 as a chef in a restaurant in Dubai and because of the Covid-19 situation, does not have a regular income. 
"My wife also lost her job as a cleaner a few months ago. We were desperately trying to find flights so that she can go back to Nigeria before the delivery date but it was almost impossible. Now, I don't know what to do. I hope God will show me a way," said Shakiru.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com 
 

Anjana Sankar

Published: Fri 3 Jul 2020, 5:15 PM

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