UAE | General
Officials in a quandary over elderly man with no papers
An elderly man abandoned on the streets of Sharjah has ended up in hospital but there seems to be no luck by way of a better future for him.
- By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:40 November 18, 2008
- The elderly man who was brought to Kuwaiti Hospital in Sharjah by the police after he was found lying unconscious on the street without any identification documents.
- Image Credit: Bassma Al Jandaly/Gulf News
Sharjah An elderly man abandoned on the streets of Sharjah has ended up in hospital but there seems to be no luck by way of a better future for him.
What's more, the man, in his late 80's, cannot relate his pain as he has remained confined to a bed at Kuwaiti Hospital for the past four months after collapsing on the street from sheer malnourishment. He had apparently been roaming the streets for nearly two years until that time.
A police official told Gulf News the man was spotted lying unconscious by a group of children out playing in the Umm Khanoor area. He was suffering from severe exhaustion and dehydration when he was found and apparently had been going hungry for a whole week. "He was taken to hospital by police ambulance," the official said.
An official at Kuwaiti Hospital said the hospital authorities had been unable to ascertain details of the aged patient since he could only mumble and that too with some difficulty. The exact details of the man's age are not known but police reckon he could be aged between 80 and 90.
The hospital authorities have tried to admit the man at an old peoples home in Sharjah but the absence of any identity papers on his person have negated their efforts.
Specific requirements
"Old peoples homes have specific requirements and conditions they need to look into before accepting any such case. Applicants should be Emiratis and have no one to take care of them. We have not received a reply from them regarding this man's case," said an official. "Some people said his name is Esmail and others say he is Hassan Saqer. He does not have documents to prove his identity. It is believed that he is originally from Oman and that he has been in the UAE since he was a child. We were told by some people that his son is living in Dubai somewhere," the official said.
Residents of the Umm Khanoor neighbourhood in Sharjah said the man was a familiar face to them.
"Some would offer him food and others would give him some money. Some used to allow him to stay in their houses for some time," said a resident. A grocery store owner said the man had once told him that he had two sons in Dubai. "He is a diabetic and suffers from other health problems as well. His health is deteriorating rapidly. We are trying to give him the best medical care. We only offer him liquids because of his fragile health. We hope to find his son or to admit him to an old age home so that he will get proper care," the official at the hospital said.
In 2006, Gulf News had reported on the same man who at the time could inevitably be found on a bench at Al Ghubaiba bus station. The man had said then that he had two sons and a house in Al Satwa. Workers at a nearby restaurant used to offer him food. A worker at the bus station said the man had been in need of a shelter and medical treatment before some "unknown" people had taken him away to Sharjah.
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