Dubai A prematurely born Kenyan baby, who is ready for discharge from a private hospital in Sharjah, cannot go home because his parents cannot afford to settle the hospital bill.

Little Kiama Mwangi Kamau’s mother Ruth Wambui Mwaura told XPRESS that her son, just two months now, was born prematurely at 25 weeks on February 11, a day before she was to fly home for the delivery.

“I had to be rushed to the emergency of the hospital and Kiama was born the next day,” said Ruth.

Ready for discharge

She said the premature baby stayed on at the hospital as his condition had to be stabilised but although he was ready for discharge now, she could not bring him home as she and her husband could not pay the hefty hospital bill of Dh294,000.

“I am currently out of work and my husband is petrol pump filler. His monthly salary is Dh1,600 and there is no way we can afford the big amount,” she said.

Ruth, who claimed she had planned the delivery in Kenya, said her plans had gone awry after she ran into an emergency just a day before. “We certainly were not prepared for something like this. We could not have imagined in our wildest dreams that we would be in this situation.”

As she and her husband are hard-pressed to find a solution, their bonny boy remains in hospital, waiting to go home. “It’s very painful for us not to be able to give him a homecoming because we do not have the money,” added Ruth.

Editor’s note: If you wish to reach out to Kiami’s family, write to editor@xpress4me.com