A Malaysian Graduate Needs RM367,000 To Get Her Father Back Home After A Sudden Stroke
The Johor Permaisuri has also urged the public to contribute to the campaign.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 07 Jan 2019, 07:15 PM
What should have been a happy event for 28-year-old Nur 'Amalina turned into a nightmare when her healthy father suddenly suffered a stroke days before her graduation
'Amalina, who hails from Penang, was set to graduate with an MSc in International Management from University of Loughborough, United Kingdom on Monday, 17 December.
However, just a few hours after her 58-year-old father Sahrom Ahmad touched down in London, he suffered a stroke and had to be rushed to Charing Cross Hospital.
One brain haemorrhage and an emergency operation later, the family has now racked up a hospital bill of more than GBP70,000 (RM367,000) - not inclusive of the costs of flying Sahrom back home
56-year-old Salmah Semail, who is Sahrom's wife, said he had purchased travel insurance with a coverage of RM300,000. However, according to the insurance policy, the company will only pay for repatriation if the policy holder is the victim of an accident.
Additionally, the policy states that the family has to pay for the expenses first and claim back from the company later.
"We will not have enough even if we put our savings together," Salmah told New Straits Times. Both Sahrom and Salmah are retirees of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
The family is currently negotiating with the insurance company to pay for the repatriation, but they still require money to pay for the flight with medical equipment and a medical team to accompany Sahrom back home to Penang.
With some help from family members and friends, the family has managed to collect RM12,000 of the total so far
The family has also made appeals through Facebook, Twitter, and most recently, through crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.
Johor Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah also highlighted the campaign on her personal Facebook page, saying, "Please help bring him home to Malaysia. I've donated. It doesn't matter how little or how much you can donate - even RM10 will make a difference."
Donations can also be made directly to Salmah's bank account:
Salmah binti Ismail
Bank Islam - 07016020007585