Embassy foots medical bill for Indian abandoned in hospital

DUBAI: A 67-year-old ailing Indian worker, who was abandoned at the entrance of a hospital in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh nearly two months ago, has been discharged from the hospital after the Indian Embassy paid his medical bills.

Dobhi Hanigbhai Bannubhai left the Somaisi Hospital after his expenses were paid and will be sent to India in a couple of days.

Bannubhai, who hails from Sultanpur in Gujarat, was found unconscious in front of the hospital on October 15. A Saudi physician saw the man, who was having symptoms of chronic diabetes and heart ailments, and provided him first aid.

It, however, remains a mystery who brought the man to the hospital and abandoned him in an unconscious condition.

The Embassy initially paid some amount from its welfare fund and gave an undertaking that it would pay the remaining amount of the bill to the hospital.

The man was not covered by health insurance and had no money either to return to his home country, media reports said.