A Filipino salesman whose newborn son's condition racked up big medical bills can finally heave a sigh of relief, after getting a major discount from the hospital.
Ricter Calixto, who faced mounting Dh700 (P8,392)-an-hour medical bills to treat his premature newborn son, got an 80-percent discount at Welcare Hospital.
"I'm grateful to Welcare for giving my wife and son a chance to live and for the generous discount from the hospital administration," Calixto said in an article posted on news site Gulf News.
"I'm happy that I didn't have to go to jail for this," he added.
Calixto's son Ric Andrei was discharged from Welcare after his doctor declared him safe and stable on November 21.
Help also started pouring in following the publication of the appeal, Calixto added.
"Given the situation of the family and the fact that the case was admitted on an emergency basis, the hospital decided to waive more than 80 percent of the total bill for the Calixto family," Welcare Hospital spokesperson Arun Avamil said.
Instead of paying more than Dh70,000 (P839,218) in hospital bills, the 32-year-old Calixto was asked to pay just Dh10,000 (P119,888) after local media ran a story about his dilemma.
Calixto's joy upon seeing his first-born on November 11 turned to worry when he faced mounting bills, which he feared would land him in jail.
He earns less than Dh5,000 (P59,944) a month, and worried that daily bills of up to Dh9,800 (P117,490) for his son's neonatal ICU treatment at Welcare Hospital were way beyond his means.
In the first four days since the Caesarian-section delivery of his son Ric Andrei, who weighed just 1.6 kg at birth, both mother and child had accumulated more than Dh70,000 in bills and was told the bill may shoot up to Dh250,000, depending on the baby's condition. (See: Huge hospital bills burden new OFW dad in Dubai)
The baby had low blood gas and the X-ray showed problems with respiration.
Local media ran Calixto's appeal for help on November 18.
His wife Analisa, 29, underwent a C-section at 31 weeks after she suffered from temporary blindness, vomiting episodes due to a severe form of pre-eclampsia and a pregnancy-induced hypertension that threatened the lives of both mother and child.—JV, GMANews.TV
No comments:
Post a Comment