Expat appeals for financial aid to get wife a liver transplant

Dubai: A Pakistani expat has launched an emotional appeal for financial help for the treatment of his wife who needs a liver transplant urgently.

Abdul Wahid, 56, said his wife, Nazia Noreen, 38, is very ill and needs about PRs5.5 million (almost Dh193,000) for the transplant to take place in Pakistan.

Noreen is currently admitted in Rashid Hospital, Dubai.

Abdul Wahid said the procedure is not available for her in the UAE and a potential donor — a relative — is undergoing tests so health authorities can confirm the match.

“My wife has been sick for years but the last few months have been bad. She has been admitted to four hospitals in Dubai and the doctors here say she needs to be sent abroad for a transplant. But I can’t afford her treatment,” Wahid, who works in a maintenance department at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, said.

“I fear for the worst if she doesn’t get treatment soon. My relatives in Pakistan are trying to raise funds but nothing has materialised yet.”

Wahid is co-ordinating with Shifa International Hospital in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which has agreed to treat her should the donor be matched and approved by Pakistani health officials. A doctor from Shifa hospital on Monday confirmed Noreen’s situation.

Wahid, who has been a Dubai resident for 38 years, has a 16-year-old son with Noreen. He is a grade nine student in Shaikh Rashid Pakistan School, Dubai.

“My wife has been sick throughout our married life but the last one and a half years have been very hard on her. She hasn’t known what being in good health feels like. The last few months have been especially difficult and now I fear the worst,” he added.

Noreen has been living in Dubai for the last four years, said Wahid, who hails from Jhelum district in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

“I hope the community comes forward for Noreen’s sake. We are a simple family who are going through a lot right now,” he added.