Mr K Balakrishnan and his wife have come to New Zealand to meet their granddaughter for the first time. They were supposed to leave for India next month. But one “little mistake” changed all their plans.
Mr Balakrishnan, who does not have health insurance, had a Hemorrhagic stroke on 16th May.
His son Bijosh Balakrishnan explains,“We were visiting a friend. While returning, I asked my father to fasten the seat belt, but he did not respond. He was not even listening. I ran to the hospital. The doctors examined him and said, it is a kind of stroke due to high blood pressure.”
Mr K Balakrishnan has been admitted to Middlemore Hospital of Auckland is still in unstable condition. He is receiving proper care at the hospital, but the cost of this care is very high.
“The doctors have given me an estimate of NZD 14,000. It might increase as the doctors are still not sure, how long my father needs to be in the hospital,” says Bijosh, who lives in Papatoetoe.
Bijosh arrived in New Zealand in 2015 on a work visa. He is in the healthcare industry and still working hard to settle his life down in a new country. The cost of his father’s treatment has left him in a fix.
“Unfortunately, we did not buy any health or travel insurance in New Zealand. Healthcare treatments are costly in New Zealand especially if you don’t have any healthcare insurance. My father is not eligible for any health benefits due to his visa status,” says Bijosh who is on leave at the moment to take care of his father.
At the community member’s advice, Bijosh started a fundraising campaign to raise fund for his father. The community has come forward generously. Over NZD 11,000 have been raised on the give-a-little page so far.
Many migrants have faced similar situations in Australia and New Zealand, with many members of the community coming forward to help. Recently, over AUD $250,000 was raised for a Perth-based family who lost their main breadwinner to a heart attack.
