Couple ‘gobsmacked’ as stranger pays £55,000 bill after their baby was stuck in Dubai hospital Azhar Saleem set up a GoFundMe page after claiming a private hospital refused to release his baby unless he paid a six-figure amount

A British father who said his newborn baby was being held in a Dubai hospital until he could settle a £100,000 bill had said he is “gobsmacked” after a stranger paid the debt.

Azhar Saleem appealed to the public for help after his wife Syeda gave birth in the the United Arab Emirates city via emergency caesarean at just 23 weeks in July, as reported by i.

After launching a GoFundMe appeal, the 26-year-old, from Surrey, was amazed to receive an email from “a complete stranger” offering to settle the medical fees so the couple could take daughter Amal home when she is ready. The hospital agreed with the donor to reduce the original bill to £55,000.

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Azhar told i: “I received an email from a man who said he had seen the appeal and he wanted to pay the full bill. At first I thought it may be a hoax. But he then contacted the hospital and they informed me that he’d been in and paid it. The hospital reduced the bill and it was settled at £55,000. I was gobsmacked. The man wants to remain totally anonymous.”

Amal, who was born weighing only 400g (0.88Ibs), is today having an operation in a desperate bid to save her sight.

Sudden complications

Azhar and Syeda, 23, who is from Dubai, married in December in her home city after he met her while holidaying there. They had planned to settle in England, however, Syeda’s visa was rejected and she was forced to stay in Dubai while Azhar returned to the UK.

The pair were hoping they would sort out the paperwork before her due date in October and so never got health insurance.

Then a routine scan in June discovered Syeda’s amniotic fluid was very low. Three weeks later she was told the baby’s life was in danger and medics at The NMC Royal Hospital, Dubai Investments Park (DIP), said the baby had to be delivered urgently.

She’d been getting monitored at the private NMC, which Amal said was her only option, and there was no time to move to a public hospital.

The couple faced an agonising wait after doctors warned them Amal may not survive and her weight plummeted by 36g, taking her to just 0.79 lbs. Syeda said the “astronomical” bill has made a stressful time even more worrying.

Azhar, who works as a quality technologist at a crisp factory, was allowed to visit Dubai on compassionate leave for a couple of weeks but said he felt “helpless” as he had to return to work in the UK.

“I had been the hardest few months of our lives,” he said. “We are now praying Amal pulls through the operation but at least we don’t have to stress about the money any more. The hospital has promised us there will be no further charges. We’re hoping all being well she will be allowed home in a few weeks when we can finalyl hold her.”

‘The support has been overwhelming’

Baby Amal is suffering from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease that causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina, and can lead to blindness.

Azhar said he wanted to make clear he is “happy” with the care at the hospital. “They’ve been brilliant with regards to the care she’s received. I just didn’t like the way they were holding us to ransom over the bill.”

He said he will now be refunding donations from the GoFundMe page, which came to over £15,000. “The support has been overwhelming and will stay with us for the rest of our lives,” he said.

Amal now weighs 1,200 grams, which is 2.64Ibs. Anyone wanting to follow her progress can follow the Instagram account @amal_azhar19.

Azhar said he is continuing to pursue Syeda’s visa application, which he said was turned down because of an error made by their solicitor with their paperwork.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “All immigration applications are considered on their individual merits and on the basis of the evidence available, in line with the immigration rules.”