Dubai: A Pakistani expat in Dubai said he is urgently seeking a flight home for his brother who has been in and out of hospitals after he met with a road accident.
Only limited flights repatriating stranded Pakistanis are operating between the UAE and Pakistan in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mohammad Junaid Ahmad Siddiqui, 53, said his brother Mohammad Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, 45, cannot travel alone because of his weak physical and psychological condition caused by an accident last October, when he was hit by a speeding van.
Junaid said he has to accompany Shoaib home to Karachi where he can be looked after by his family and doctors at a more affordable cost.
Shoaib, who is suffering from various conditions, had to be rushed to hospital last night too, Junaid said.
He said he would have to undergo surgery for clearing an obstruction in his small intestine.
Shoaib, who has only one kidney (he donated one kidney to Junaid in 2015), is also at risk of renal failure, Junaid added.
The accident had left him in coma in ICU for 25 days, with a brain injury causing temporary paralysis of the right arm and leg, and multiple fractures. Shoaib also underwent intensive physio and speech therapy at a rehabilitation centre in Dubai.
Junaid said he has been trying to register Shoaib and himself on the flights by Pakistan’s government, however he said he has not yet received an acknowledgment.
“My brother’s visa has been cancelled because his job was terminated due to his inability to work after his accident. He needs to get home to Karachi where he can be cared for, but he needs me to take him there,” Junaid said.
Shoaib, whose monthly salary was around Dh1,500 before his accident, has three children (aged between nine and 12) who live in Karachi.
“I am waiting for our case to move forward; this is urgent and a genuine priority,” Junaid said.
Shoaib is currently residing with Junaid, who lives with his wife and three children in Al Muhaisnah 4.
“Doctors in Dubai have said Shoaib needs to be in hospital. But he cannot afford the medical expenses, he doesn’t have health insurance. Going home, where medical expenses are lower, would be the best option for him,” Junaid said, pleading for help to make their travel to Pakistan possible.
