Dubai: The devastated parents of a premature baby who died last week at a city hospital are seeking help from residents to settle his child’s neo-natal intensive unit bill of Dh250,000.

Baby Timothy was born on April 20 in the 26 gestational week at a city hospital. He was discharged within two months on June 20 when he was technically 30 weeks in gestation and less than full term, with the doctor assuring the parents the baby was doing fine. However, within a week of discharge the baby died at home on June 26. The distraught parents are wondering if the hospital discharged the baby earlier than they should have perceiving their inability to pay.

It is double misfortune for the father, Rollie Tindugan, 38 who lost his job in March as a graphic designer. “I wanted my wife’s company to sponsor her but they refused,” he said. Undeterred by the setback, he decided to hunt for another job.

He was hoping to find a new one but with the mounting bills the hospital actually retained their passports as collateral. By May 5, the family’s visa expired and the hospital refused to return the passports. The fines kept mounting and later with the intervention of the police the hospital returned their passports only after taking a security cheque of Dh250,000. The hospital has already issued a warning to Tindugan that if he does not settle the bill by September 20, he will be turned over to the ‘authorities’.

In the process he has racked up a fine for three months of over stay already, an insurmountable hospital debt, a grieving wife Rhodora and an innocent three-year-old daughter, Mikhaela . Every day he is trying to fight the odds to survive in this expensive city as fines continue to mount.

“Every single day I pray to the departed soul of my son, asking for forgiveness as I could not save his life, because I had no money to care for him,” said Tindugan grieving for his child.

Recounting the tragic turn of events, Tindugan told Gulf News: “We were such a happy family, leading a perfect life. I had a decent job and Rhodora was working as a visual merchandiser. But this was not to be.

I lost my job in March this year, Rhodora was six-months pregnant then. The stress got to her and her water bag broke. After rushing to the emergency of at least six hospitals where we were refused help we reached this hospital that admitted my wife and Timothy was born. Our hearts melted seeing him and I was confident things would work out. However, it was not to be. After two months when my baby weighed 2.45 kg the hospital told us it was safe to discharge him, However, we lacked the wherewithal to care for our child and he died in his sleep. The death certificate says he died of a lack of oxygen. With his death I have lost the will to struggle against the odds,” said the bereaved father.

“I have lost everything, my son is no more, I have no job, no visa and have no idea how am I going to pay this bill. But I have only compassion and guilt in my heart, not hatred for any individual,” said Tindugan who is trying to raise money. But feeling very helpless and alone in this struggle, he is now appealing to the generous-hearted UAE residents for help.