Sharjah: An Emirati girl, who was born to an Egyptian mother in 2007, remains without a birth certificate until her Emirati father settles the government hospital's bill.
Three-year-old Ghalya was born at Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah in 2007. Her unemployed Emirati father failed to pay the hospital bill. The hospital has therefore refused to issue Ghalya a birth certificate,
According to an official from Al Qasimi Hospital, Ghalya was born to an Egyptian mother so she was treated as an expatriate patient and they should pay the hospital bill.
The official said the hospital bill was Dh6,500 because her mother did not have a health card. The official said the hospital would only charge the family Dh2,500 if they obtained a health card for Ghalya's mother.
Mohammad Ebrahim Naseeb, Ghalya's 23-year-old father told Gulf News that he was unemployed and had no money to pay the hospital to get a birth certificate for his daughter.
Naseeb, who is from the Nouf area of Sharjah, said the hospital told him that his wife should pay for having her baby at the hospital because she was not Emirati.
Naseeb said his wife did not have a health card because she does not have a valid residency visa.
"We cannot afford to pay the cost of her residency visa too," he said.
Naseeb said he lives with his wife's family who are helping as much as they can. "My wife's family is very poor and my family too," he said.
Naseeb said it breaks his heart to see his daughter without identification or nationality.
"We are not able to afford the hospital fees and it breaks my heart to see my baby in this situation," he said.
Naseeb said his daughter cannot go to school because she does not have a passport.
"We tried our best with the hospital to help us in that issue but the hospital refused," he said.
Ghalya's Egyptian grandfather who is supporting a large family on a low income told Gulf News that he had tried to convince the hospital to issue a birth certificate for Ghalya but they refused.
"We told them that she is born to an Emirati father but they said her mother is not Emirati and that the mother was the one who was admitted to the hospital to give birth and not the father," he said.
Naseeb said he had tried everywhere to find a job to support his family.
Naseeb said his wife Marwa is now pregnant with her second child.
"I have no clue what to do as my two babies will have no identification documents," he said.
