Duluth hospital: State Dept. rejected visa extension for comatose student
By Jenna Ross, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Medically, Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa is doing better than expected, his brother said Wednesday. He's breathing on his own, squeezing his mother's small hand.
But
"The heath care's not so good there," Shahraiz Bajwa said in a telephone interview. "But the flight itself -- which is more than 24 hours -- is too much. Anything can happen to him in the middle of nowhere."
Such "medical repatriations" of foreign citizens are "widespread but barely publicized" according to a 2012 report by two advocacy groups. Hospitals put ill, injured or even comatose patients on flights to their home countries, often without consulting federal agencies. But a spokeswoman for
Shahzaib Bajwa was riding with friends from
He was talking when he got to a hospital in
"The whole situation is very tragic and difficult for us," Shahraiz Bajwa said.
With proper medical care, his brother has a chance, Shahraiz Bajwa believes. "Doctors said he would not be able to survive a month," he said. "But he has come this far."
His brother had taken out travel insurance capped at
Shahzaib Bajwa's student visa is set to expire
Seeking another extension
McIvor is working to get another extension -- which could be tough because Bajwa is no longer enrolled at the university -- or a different type of permission. But that would fix only one of two problems, she said. "That doesn't solve the situation of where he's going to be."
While hospital officials are "doing their best to accommodate the family," McIvor said, it's also dealing with medical bills the family won't be able to pay.
Hospitals are required to provide emergency care to patients "regardless of their immigration status," according to a report from the
Because the
'Unfortunate situation'
"
She declined to answer other questions Wednesday: "There's very little I can say simply because of patient privacy rights."
In his few months at
On his Facebook page, he posted photos and thoughts on trips to
His mother,
Shahraiz Bajwa has worried about her since his father's death in 2005. Having Muhammad in the hospital has been "very hard," he said. "I'm a young person, a man. I can deal with it. She's emotionally very attached to my brother.
"If something were to happen to her ..." he added, trailing off.
___
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