Parents forced to pay £100,000 to bring 'beautiful little baby' home after mum prematurely gives birth in Dubai
26 September 2019, 16:11 | Updated: 26 September 2019, 16:18
The couple's tiny daughter Amal was born 23 weeks early and weighs just 400 grams.
A British father has been left with a whopping £100,000 medical bill after his wife prematurely gave birth to their daughter on a trip to Dubai.
Azhar Saleem, 26, from Birmingham, and Syeda Khola Adnan, 23, from Dubai, have been told they can't take their newborn girl home until they start paying off the huge sum of money.
Their "beautiful little baby" Amal was born 23 weeks early by emergency cesarean after doctors picked up a dangerous drop in her heart rate and blood pressure.
She weighed just 14 ounces, which is less than a pound, and measured the size of her mother's hand.
The Birmingham-based couple were facing a life or death decision when they were told their little one needed delivering immediately during an appointment with a foetal specialist at NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City.
Speaking to The Sun, father Azhar, said: "She [my wife] was due in October and gave birth on the 14th of July. Birth was via emergency cesarean and all happened so suddenly.
"We were seeing a foetal specialist at the private hospital, one of only two specialists in Dubai.
"We wanted her to give birth at a government hospital but everything spiralled so quickly we didn’t have the choice because they advised if they didn’t deliver as soon as possible, my baby wouldn’t make it."
Despite initial plans for his wife to give birth at a government hospital, Azhar explained they had no choice but to go ahead with the c-section at the costly private hospital to save their daughter's life.
He added: "Everything spiralled so quickly we didn’t have the choice because they advised if they didn’t deliver as soon as possible, my baby wouldn’t make it."
New mum Syeda added: "[She was] the tiniest but most beautiful little baby. 23 weeks premature weighing only 400 grams and the size of my hand.
"We initially wanted to go to a government hospital but because of how quickly events unfolded this was no longer an option."
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The married couple, who tied the knot in Dubai in December 2018 and fell pregnant in January 2019 in the UK, had hoped to welcome Amal into the world in Britain, but Syeda's visa was rejected "due to solicitor negligence".
As Azhar and Syeda weren't planning on a Dubai delivery, it meant they didn't have any medical insurance and are now facing a hefty bill.
The total could soar to £200,000 as Amal's care continues and they claim the hospital have insisted they have to pay the full amount within one year, meaning monthly payments could top £16,000.
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The new parents have set up a crowdfunding page with the hope of receiving donations to help towards paying the eye-watering total.
Ms Adnan said: "We really need help to bring my baby home, any kind of help would be appreciated. you don’t realise the situations you can find yourself in until you find yourself in them.
"I have never thought of asking for help before in my life, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and your pride and do everything you can to bring your loved ones, in this instance our baby home."
You can donate to their GoFundMe page here.
