The story of Anna Agnew was brought to our attention 2 weeks ago.
We are looking for your support .. what support... post it here... !
Hi Jeff, I have heard you on Speakeasy before and know that you have quite a bit of voice within the UAE and mabe the heirarchy of the UAE.
My wife passed this e-mail to me and I read it. As my wife knows or knew the person involved i decided to give it my time whilst most of the time I read it and think poor them, then forget about it. This one was slightly different. I read it and it hit my at how sorry i felt for this women. No one to visit or care about her. Its everyones worst nightmare. Why involve or bring the story to your attention? Well, I heard the show with Chris and yourself about a Pakistani women not being able to return due to cost. Eventually the Embassy came good and paid for her ticket, thanks to informing people through the airwaves helping awareness, and ensuring pressure being put on the Embassy to do the right thing. I wondered if you could pass this on to Akhtar for tomorrows show or indeed highlight it on your night show, as someone in the Embassy may hear it. I have copied and pasted the story plus the comments from my wife before the article. As I say I dont usually feel this bad for issues, but something about this one is very tradgic and really makes me feel awful for her. Thanks for taking time to read the mail
Best RegardsDave "hun i know this poor old lady.
i used to visit her in 2004then for some reason i stopped visiting her. For 4 years i was haunted by my concience. always remembering her.now i feel really so bad about her. i thought she was transferred or had passed away. only now i realized that she is still alive and has not any visitors. i really feel so bad for my self and feel so selfish i have not continued visiting her.
Coma woman in hospital for five yearsBy Nina Muslim, Staff ReporterPublished: August 05, 2008, 23:23Dubai: A 61-year-old Finnish woman has been at Dubai Hospital in a semi-vegetative state for almost five years, abandoned by her family who say they cannot afford to care for her.Anna Lee Mirjami Agnew, from Finland, was in Dubai with her English husband for the Dubai Shopping Festival in January 2004 when she suffered a heart attack and collapsed. She was brought to Dubai Hospital where doctors resuscitated her. But as her brain had gone too long without oxygen, she slipped into a coma. She has been at the hospital ever since.Jansi Rajarathan, the ward nurse in charge of the medical unit, told Gulf News that Agnew has been alone for much of the four and a half years she has been there.
"Initially, her husband was here. He promised us he would go back to Saudi Arabia [where they had been living] and make arrangements to bring her back. But he didn't come back," she said.She said a family friend then visited Agnew a few months later on her son's behalf, saying he would inform Agnew's son of his mother's condition. But nothing happened."After that, there were no more visits," she added.Dr Abdul Razzaq Al Madani, director of Dubai Hospital, told Gulf News they tried to contact the husband and Finnish Embassy in Abu Dhabi repeatedly but did not receive a response."We want her relatives and government to take care of her. We sent them many letters [but] no one showed an interest in her," he said, describing Agnew's condition as stable. Agnew is awake but unaware of her surroundings. She can open her eyes but cannot communicate. She cannot breathe on her own and needs a breathing and feeding tube to carry out those functions for her.She is also unable to move on her own. Nurses have to shift her position in bed, move her limbs to prevent muscle atrophy, and clean her when she soils herself. Dr Madani added that depending on the level of care, Agnew could live for years. The hospital cost for her stay alone, without adding the cost of medical care and medicines, is more than Dh146,000. The hospital has been bearing the cost of her care."[But] the cost is not an issue. She just needs to go home," he said.Three Finnish families residing in Dubai have also tried to get their government to help Agnew. Matti Mikola, who is leading the group's efforts, said he has made many calls and sent many e-mails to authorities to get Agnew home."The Prime Minister's Office replied. They said the government was not responsible for her because she has moved permanently overseas," he said."They just keep saying the same thing; every office I contacted," he added.The response from the Prime Minister's Office also stated they had contacted Agnew's husband and son in the UK, as well as her relatives in Finland about her case. Her Finnish relatives said they could not afford to repatriate or care for her. There was no response from her husband and son.Paivi Palmumen, First Secretary at the Finnish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News the Finnish authorities were doing all they could. "The Finnish authorities are trying to find the best solution for her," she said. However, she declined to detail what "the best solution" was when asked. Gulf News could not trace her husband
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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