Comatose woman in hospital for five years

Dubai: A 61-year-old Finnish woman has been at Dubai Hospital in a semi-vegetative state for almost five years, abandoned by her family who say they cannot afford to care for her.

Anna Lee Mirjami Agnew, from Finland, was in Dubai with her English husband for the Dubai Shopping Festival in January 2004 when she suffered a heart attack and collapsed. She was brought to Dubai Hospital where doctors resuscitated her.

But as her brain had gone too long without oxygen, she slipped into a coma. She has been at the hospital ever since.

Jansi Rajarathan, the ward nurse in charge of the medical unit, told Gulf News that Agnew has been alone for much of the four and a half years she has been there.

"Initially, her husband was here. He promised us he would go back to Saudi Arabia [where they had been living] and make arrangements to bring her back. But he didn't come back," she said.

She said a family friend then visited Agnew a few months later on her son's behalf, saying he would inform Agnew's son of his mother's condition. But nothing happened.

"After that, there were no more visits," she added.

Dr Abdul Razzaq Al Madani, director of Dubai Hospital, told Gulf News they tried to contact the husband and Finnish Embassy in Abu Dhabi repeatedly but did not receive a response.

"We want her relatives and government to take care of her. We sent them many letters [but] no one showed an interest in her," he said, describing Agnew's condition as stable. Agnew is awake but unaware of her surroundings. She can open her eyes but cannot communicate. She cannot breathe on her own and needs a breathing and feeding tube to carry out those functions for her.

She is also unable to move on her own. Nurses have to shift her position in bed, move her limbs to prevent muscle atrophy, and clean her when she soils herself. Dr Madani added that depending on the level of care, Agnew could live for years. The hospital cost for her stay alone, without adding the cost of medical care and medicines, is more than Dh146,000. The hospital has been bearing the cost of her care.

"[But] the cost is not an issue. She just needs to go home," he said.

Three Finnish families residing in Dubai have also tried to get their government to help Agnew. Matti Mikola, who is leading the group's efforts, said he has made many calls and sent many e-mails to authorities to get Agnew home.

"The Prime Minister's Office replied. They said the government was not responsible for her because she has moved permanently overseas," he said.

"They just keep saying the same thing; every office I contacted," he added.

The response from the Prime Minister's Office also stated they had contacted Agnew's husband and son in the UK, as well as her relatives in Finland about her case. Her Finnish relatives said they could not afford to repatriate or care for her. There was no response from her husband and son.

Paivi Palmumen, First Secretary at the Finnish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News the Finnish authorities were doing all they could. "The Finnish authorities are trying to find the best solution for her," she said. However, she declined to detail what "the best solution" was when asked.

Gulf News could not trace her husband.