Help Sunita with her medical bills and repatriation to meet her family

Sunita Chhetri has been our domestic helper since December 2019. She is from Darjeeling, India. She is hardworking, disciplined and responsibly carried out her duties. She also took good care of our kids (8yrs old & 2yrs old). We were thoroughly satisfied and happy with her work.

On morning of 21^st Dec. ‘20, she complained of dizziness and after a while she complained of her left hand and leg getting stiff. We immediately called for an ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance we noticed her left side of the face drooping as well. By the time ambulance arrived she was asleep and was immediately rushed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Accident & Emergency.

On investigation at A&E and CT scan, it was diagnosed that she suffered a massive Hemorrhagic Stroke. She had an internal bleeding in the brain near the brain stem, as was revealed in the CT scan. The neurosurgeons had to perform an emergency surgery to drain the brain fluid to maintain the pressure in the brain or else it could have been fatal. After the surgery, she was admitted to the ICU where she was in an unconscious state, what the doctors say is in a comatose state. She has been in this unconscious state till today, 31^st Dec.’20.

According to the doctors, due to the severity of the damage already done to the brain, she may or may not regain consciousness in near future. In such cases, there is a high possibility that she may also never come out of this unconscious state. Even if she regains her consciousness, she’ll be dependent on medical & nursing assistance throughout her life.

In the ICU, she was under good care of efficient medical staff and was continuously monitored on all vital parameters. She was intubated and was in ventilator support since the day of admission till 28^th Dec.’20, that is for 8 days. On 28^th December 2020, doctors also performed Tracheostomy, as intubation for extended number of days can lead to infections and discomfort to the patient. She was taken out of ventilator after Tracheostomy and she was able to breath by herself. On 30^th December, she was shifted to a C ward, but her condition remains the same, that is she is still in an unconscious state. Also, her period of stay in the hospital remains undefined, as explained by the doctors about her condition.

Since she is a Foreigner here (and we are Foreigners here as well) and seeing her medical conditions and future prognosis, we have to medically repatriate her back to India. She needs her family support during this difficult time. We are already in touch with her family members (daughter 15yrs, son 10yrs, husband, whom we know is not working and mother-in-law who primarily takes care of the family in India) and keep updating them about her condition. But, with her current medical condition, we can only repatriate her via an air ambulance, after the doctors gives a go-ahead that she is able to fly. We are also parallelly looking for a suitable hospital near her hometown in India, where she can be admitted with necessary medical care.

Being a foreigner, she does not qualify for any hospital subsidies and she is being charged as a private patient. As on 28th Dec.’20 her interim hospital bill was S$25,453.90. This includes a surgery on Day1 and 8 days of care in the ICU. Also the hospital bills are piling up for every passing day. Discussing her case with the doctors/business office, she may need another surgical procedure, scans & tests and will continue staying for another week or two at the hospital, before she is repatriated via air ambulance. An estimated final bill amount of S$50,000 or more is envisaged in Sunita’s case. The maid insurance covers only S$20,000, which means we have to arrange the additional minimum amount of S$30,000 by ourselves.

Below is the interim Hospital bill as on 28th Dec.'20

In addition to the above, we also need to arrange for Sunita, the air ambulance, that costs a fortune. Initial estimates, that we managed to get from one of the air ambulance providers was around S$60,000. So, a total of minimum S$90,000 (S$30,000 for hospitalization & surgical expenses + S$60,000 for air ambulance) is required for medical treatment and repatriation expenses of Sunita.

I’m just another salaried individual, who’s the only earning member of my family and hence it’s very difficult for me to arrange the funds and pay for the above expenses. We also have a financial constraint, as our elder child (8yrs old) is under medication and regular follow-up with Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology docs as he may need a liver transplant later in his life, due to congenital problem.

Hence, we very humbly appeal to your generosity to help with this medical exigency aid for Sunita, so that she can be safely repatriated back to India to be with her beloved family members for the rest of her life.

We will continuously be providing updates here.