Nivetha Sivakumar, a hardworking immigrant in Australia, finds herself in a heart-wrenching predicament as her mother battles for her life in Westmead Hospital following a massive heart attack last month. Sivakumar, who has been living in Sydney with her 5-year-old child on a 482 Work Permit Visa for the past year, is unable to bear the expensive healthcare costs of her mother’s necessary treatment.
In an emotional appeal on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, Sivakumar shared, “She remains in the ICU for continuous monitoring. The daily cost of her treatment is $6500, and according to the doctors’ advice, we need to be here for 3 more weeks. These costs are in addition to the charges for the angiogram.”
The patient in question is Parimala Padmanabhan, who arrived to visit her daughter for a few weeks but tragically suffered a severe heart attack on June 20th. After undergoing an angiogram and receiving stents, her condition failed to stabilize, leading to her current reliance on ECMO and a ventilator to sustain her life.
The Sivakumar family represents just one among many immigrants in Australia who face the agonizing reality of unaffordable medical care for their parents. Immigration expert Chaman Preet shed light on the prevalent issues at hand, stating, “Firstly, a significant number of immigrants find themselves in challenging circumstances when their visitors require hospitalization due to the lack of visitor’s insurance. In Australia, medical costs, including hospitalization, are prohibitively high, making it unaffordable for those without insurance coverage.” Expensive healthcare Expensive care for sick parents
Preet further emphasized another pressing concern: the exclusion of pre-existing conditions from insurance coverage. This creates a significant problem, especially when elderly parents are involved. As their conditions often exist prior to their arrival, insurance fails to address the associated expenses, leaving many individuals in dire situations.
While obtaining insurance for their parents can alleviate the burden, the non-coverage of pre-existing conditions continues to instill fear in many immigrants, dissuading them from bringing their parents to Australia. Parents themselves are also apprehensive, fearing the potential financial strain they may impose on their children. Abhijit Rao, a visitor currently living with his son, shared his concerns, saying, “I am diabetic and I have a heart condition. I wanted to meet my grandchildren, so I came, but I have been very scared during my stay. What would happen if I fall ill?”
Santosh Kumari echoes this sentiment, expressing her reluctance to visit her son in Australia. “My son keeps asking me to visit him, but I am a heart patient. If I come and something goes wrong, who will pay for my hospitalization? I do not want to be a burden on my children,” she shared. Expensive care for sick parents
In cases where medical costs become overwhelming, many immigrants are left with no choice but to resort to fundraising efforts to finance their parents’ hospitalization. As a result, an increasing number of parents are refraining from visiting their children in Australia, due to the unaffordability of healthcare expenses. Expensive healthcare
This growing dilemma calls for attention from authorities and insurance providers to reassess their policies regarding visitor insurance and coverage for pre-existing conditions. Ensuring that affordable healthcare options are available to all, regardless of immigration status, will not only alleviate the financial burden on families but also strengthen the bonds between parents and their immigrant children.
As Nivetha Sivakumar continues her battle to secure the necessary funds for her mother’s treatment, her plight serves as a poignant reminder of the pressing need for comprehensive solutions to address the challenges faced by immigrants in accessing adequate healthcare for their ailing parents.
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