Say what you want but it’s undeniable that Malaysia has one of the most affordable healthcare systems in the world, as many services are subsidised by our government. This means that we can patch up our injuries at a public hospital without having to declare bankruptcy, but things are a little different in foreign countries.
Last month, a pregnant Malaysian doctor named Tan Siew Hui, flew to Japan with her husband to attend a conference. Unfortunately, the baby was born prematurely in Japan and the couple incurred a jaw-dropping medical bill.
Here’s what she wrote on Facebook.
“I was 27 weeks and four days into pregnancy at that moment and my estimated delivery date was 27 December 2017.
“Unfortunately, I had developed premature/preterm contraction on 1 October and delivered a preterm baby girl with a birth weight of a mere 1.02kg.”
Due to this condition, the baby had to be admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and was placed under continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask ventilation.
“As she was born in Japan near mid-autumn, we named her Akira, which carries the meaning of an autumn child.”
Currently, Akira is 30 weeks old and she still requires NICU care and CPAP mask ventilation for another 10 weeks. Since Tan and Akira are not Japanese citizens, they racked up extremely high medical bills.
“The estimated total medical expenses for Akira is around ¥25million (approx. RM950,000). There is no way we can afford this amount of money.
“We did buy travel insurance, but it doesn’t cover childbirth.”
As such, the desperate family turned to members of the public to seek donations while little Akira is fighting for survival in NICU.
This post has since gone viral on Facebook and it was very heartwarming to see fellow Malaysians posting proof of their donations accompanied by supportive words to Akira. “May God grant strength to you and your family, little fighter Akira!” a netizen commented.
A crowdfunding effort has also been initiated, but as of this afternoon (24 Oct), only US$17,782 (approx. RM75,290) has been donated, which covers about only 7 per cent of the entire medical bill. Needless to say, the donations are currently insufficient to cover Akira’s medical bill.
Source: go get funding
If you’re interested to donate and help Akira in her fight for survival, you can visit the crowdfunding page and donate any amount you want. Donations can also be made directly to the mother’s Maybank account – 507358001094 (TAN SIEW HUI).
The team at WORLD OF BUZZ wishes Akira and her family all the best in their plight!
Also read: Malaysian Lady Delivers Premature Baby in UK, Now Needs RM500,000 to Pay Bill
