Sign petition for Shahzaib Bajwa

[Khan_patriot]

- URGENT!!!! IMPORTANT!!! A young brilliant student of LUMS, Shahzaib Bajwa, went to USA last year for an exchange semester. He was attending University of Wisconsin-Superior when he suffered from a severe accident. He suffered severe facial fractures but was talking when he arrived at a hospital in Cloquet. He choked on blood there and went into cardiac arrest, but was resuscitated and transferred to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. The heart attack caused brain damage leaving Shahzaib in a state of comatose.

Shahzaib's visa expire on February 28, after which under US law he would have to be sent back to Pakistan in his current medical condition. His family is of course is concerned as to whether (a) a long air journey would be acceptable in such a medical condition and (b) what level of medical care he will receive in Pakistan. The health insurance policy of Shahzaib had a cap of US$ 100,000 however Essentia hospital has not tapped into that so that the same could be used for his care in Pakistan. This means that Essentia has decided to absorb the US$ 350,000 spent on his care so far. Right now in the first instance it is preferable that his stay and care and the US can be extended.

Everyone else can you please sign this petitionhttp://www.change.org/en-GB/petitio...utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

If you wish to help fund further treatment of Shahzaib, the link for that is:
http://www.gofundme.com/6t9bq8

Regular updates about Shahzaib are available on this page:Support for Shahzaib Bajwa | Facebook

All pdf members are requested to sign the petition on grounds of humanity.....

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   JunaidP
   Desi Guy

 

[VCheng]

Shahzaib Bajwa is a student of LUMS who went to attend University of Wisconsin-Superior for a semester as an Exchange student.

There are rules that cover Exchange Students in such cases. The costs can be covered by LUMS, and they can also petition for visa extensions as needed.

 

[slapshot]

BTW whats wrong with his treatment at Pakistan? Isn't it convenient for his family? Is there some special treatment which is only possible in USA ?

 

[VCheng]

The Foreign Office on Thursday said the family of a comatose Pakistani exchange student in US has been facilitated in the best possible way, Express News reported. Briefing the media, the foreign office spokesperson said the family was issued visas on a one-day notice and was also given $90,000 as financial assistance.

Shahzaib Bajwa’s family facilitated in best possible way: Foreign Office – The Express Tribune

Shahzaib Bajwa’s student visa is set to expire Feb. 28, said the family’s attorney, Saiko McIvor, with the Minneapolis-based law firm Dorsey & Whitney. It’s already been extended once, she said. “I basically begged the U.S. State Department to extend it … which they did.”

Seeking another extension

McIvor is working to get another extension — which could be tough because Bajwa is no longer enrolled at the university — or a different type of permission. But that would fix only one of two problems, she said. “That doesn’t solve the situation of where he’s going to be.”

While hospital officials are “doing their best to accommodate the family,” McIvor said, it’s also dealing with medical bills the family won’t be able to pay.

Hospitals are required to provide emergency care to patients “regardless of their immigration status,” according to a report from the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. But “this obligation terminates once a patient is stabilized.”

Duluth hospital: State Dept. rejected visa extension for comatose student | Star Tribune

===============================

A spokeswoman from the foreign ministry said Pakistani officials had been in touch with the US State Department and were told extending Shahzaib's visa was “not a problem” if the family could raise funds for his care.

“The matter has been taken up with the State Department. Essentially visa extension is not a problem,” Tasnim Aslam said, adding his future course of care was now “up to the family”.

The Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minnesota, has so far provided Shahzaib $350,000 worth of treatment for free.

Comatose Bajwa's family raise funds for US treatment - DAWN.COM

 

[forcetrip]

He needs to come back and continue his treatment here. They have already done enough, lets hope the plane ride back is safe enough in his stabilized condition..

 

[Jazzbot]

The question is whether he can survive such long journey in this condition. If yes, then he should come back home and continue the treatment here.

 

[VCheng]

The question is whether he can survive such long journey in this condition. If yes, then he should come back home and continue the treatment here.

I am sure that the required facilities are available with a MedJet and many other similar companies that transfer far more serious patients worldwide:

Air Medical Transport & Global Travel Assistance | Medical Transport Service

 

[VCheng]

Oh those eeevul Murrikans!





US pledges flexibility on comatose Pakistani student - DAWN.COM

US pledges flexibility on comatose Pakistani student
AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday it would show flexibility over the visa of a comatose Pakistani exchange student whose family fears he would not survive a trip home.

Relatives of Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa, 20, who was injured when a deer struck his car in November, say that the insurance company is pressing to return him to Pakistan from the Duluth, Minnesota, hospital where he is being treated.

As supporters raised money and petitioned the United States to extend Bajwa's visa, the State Department said it wanted to “ensure the student receives the best care.”

”Our hearts go out to the injured student and his family during this difficult time,” State Department spokesman Mark Thornburg said.

“His future treatment involves a number of factors that the family must weigh, and we are making every effort to offer as much flexibility as possible in maintaining his status while the family considers their options,” he said.

The State Department, which sponsors the exchange program through which Bajwa was spending a semester at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, said that it arranged for his family to travel to the United States.

The hospital, Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center, has provided $350,000 in care for free but has said that it cannot keep Bajwa beyond February 28 because his visa will expire.

His brother Shahraiz said that the insurance policy provides $100,000 in coverage, which would be put towards treatment in Pakistan. The brother said that the insurance company has warned that it would not provide for Bajwa's transport home if the family did not agree to send him back.

The elder Bajwa voiced fear that his brother would not find proper medical care in Pakistan, saying that for their mother to sign the insurance company's papers would be like “killing her son with her own hand.”

As of late Thursday, a fund-raising drive on the online site gofundme.com had generated more than $46,000, nearly half of the $100,000 goal.

More than 4,000 people have signed a petition on change.org urging the United States to extend Bajwa's visa “until he is back on his feet or at least stable enough to travel back to Pakistan without any risk to his life.”

Shahzaib was attending Lahore University of Management Sciences, where a professor described him as a liberal activist who co-founded the school's first ever feminist society. He was studying anthropology and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

 

[VCheng]

Bajwa's brother, Shahraiz Bajwa, told The Associated Press that Pakistan's consul general in Chicago told him his brother's visa is not an issue anymore. The consul general also said the school exchange program's insurance company has agreed to pay for a long-term care facility for a while, after which the family would have to pay for care, Bajwa said.

Shahraiz Bajwa expressed gratitude for support his family has received, saying their ''love and encouragement'' helped strengthen their case. He said an online fundraising campaign he launched last week has raised about $131,000.


Comatose Bajwa can stay in US for medical care - DAWN.COM