Born in Macau, yet still non-resident | Parents of sick baby faced with astronomical hospital bills

Chyn was born in Macau on April 20 and soon after birth was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, congenital heart disease, a complete ventricular septal defect and pulmonary hypertension. Born to Filipino parents who have lived in Macau for the past ten years, the baby girl now needs MOP300,000 surgery that her family can’t afford.
Baby Chyn’s parents have launched a fundraising campaign on Facebook and Indiegogo to gather funds for the operation.
As they’re both non-resident workers, their baby daughter is not entitled to any government health subsidies, even though she was born here. Furthermore, as “blue card” and tourist visa holders they are required to pay medical bills at a price that can sometimes be 200 percent higher than that paid by Macau ID holders.
“We were advised to approach the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and we found out that as we are not Macau residents they could not help us financially. It was disappointing but we understand and respect that this is their procedure and protocol,” said Carlo de Guzman, baby Chyn’s father.
Baby Chyn has three siblings, two of whom were also born in Macau. A large proportion of her relaltives have lived in Macau for years, including her paternal grandparents who are both Macau residents.
Mr de Guzman is currently unemployed and on a tourist visa, which authorities have extended due to the baby’s situation. Baby Chyn’s mother, Nina, returned to her work here in Macau yesterday.
“We decided to have the baby here because back in the Philippines one of us would have to stay with her. There we can’t get help from family members because they’re all here,” the father recalled.
Mr de Guzman added that the family only learned of the baby’s serious health condition during the final stage of the pregnancy. He added that they decided to have the baby at Kiang Wu, as his wife had previously given birth there and it all ran smoothly.
“This time, she had been followed by a doctor at a private clinic and when she was almost seven months pregnant, we went to Kiang Wu for a check-up. Doctors found out that there was something wrong with the baby’s intestines, but said they would only be able to tell more once the baby was born,” he said.
A few hours after giving birth, Nina learned that her baby daughter had Down Syndrome, a congenital heart problem and pulmonary hypertension, as well as congenital digestive problems.
As the baby was unable to eat, she underwent surgery at Kiang Wu hospital and has since been given milk through a feeding tube.
“When she was four days old she had the surgery, which
was successful. After nine days in the hospital we learned that the medical bill was about MOP143,000. That bill has been settled but we decided back then to move her to the public hospital to continue treatment, because we thought it would be a little bit cheaper,” Mr de Guzman said.
Baby Chyn was admitted to the public hospital in late April and discharged in early June. Now, she’s at home but is still being given milk through a feeding tube. If she moves a lot, the feeding tube can get displaced and the baby needs to be taken to the hospital for it to be reattached.
“We are very thankful to the nurses and doctors at both hospitals for the care they’ve provided. Doctors in Kiang Wu and Hospital Conde de São Januário coordinated to handle her case,” Mr de Guzman recalled.
But a greater problem remains to be solved. The baby needs surgery to alleviate pressure in her lungs, and she needs it soon. And around six months after that, she will need to undergo heart surgery.
The first operation can only be performed at Kiang Wu, said Mr Guzman. “First they had actually scheduled it for July, because this operation should be done in the first three months after the baby is born. But we asked them to postpone it to September because we haven’t gathered all the money yet,” he conceded.
Mr Guzman clarified that they need to pay a MOP250,000 deposit for the hospital to perform the surgery. In total, the operation costs can amount to MOP300,000.
Meanwhile, they are also working to settle a MOP160,000-plus medical bill at Conde São Januário Hospital.
Mr Guzman said that the family was advised to resort to the Social Welfare Bureau office located in the public hospital to request a monthly installment plan to pay their baby daughter’s bill.
The Health Bureau (SSM) told the Times yesterday that it could not confirm by press time whether a request had been filed by the baby’s family to settle their medical bill under an installment plan. SSM confirmed that these monthly installment plans have been made available for tourists and foreign workers seeking to pay larger medical bills.
Asked if they believe the government will eventually provide help, Mr Guzman said that, “we are still praying for that to happen and hoping that they will help us,” although acknowledging that their “expectations aren’t too high.”
Baby Chyn’s parents saw no option other than launching a fundraising campaign. First on Indiegogo (life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/1312751) and later on by launching a Facebook page titled “Help our Little Angel ‘Baby Chyn.’”
He concluded by saying that, “it has been very difficult for us but we remain positive that we will be able to reach the amount of money that we need. We’re still hoping. Up until now we have gathered almost MOP100,000, the sum total of all contributions. It’s still a long way to go to reach MOP300,000.”