THATTA, April 16: The Ambassador of China in Pakistan, Zang Chunxiang has been asked to help save the life Dr Zaibunnisa Abdul Rehman who is fighting for her life in a government hospital there.

The appeal was made by the leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro. Dr Zaibunnisa is a well-reputed social reformer and a leading gynecologist who hails from Mirpur Bathoro, a town of district Thatta.

She was infected by the hepatitis-C some 14 years back and underwent liver transplant surgery in a Chinese state-run facility Zhonganam Hospital at Wuhan city, on Feb 9.

Initially, it was agreed the patient will pay $70,000 as surgical expenses and another $200 daily if her stay in the intensive care unit exceeds beyond seven days.

Complications developed in her case which requires regular haemodialysis to save her from renal failure.

The hospital after the expiry of seven days has enhanced the ICU charges from $200 to $1,500 per day which is beyond the capacity of her family to afford.

Following consecutive appeals from Pakistan for a waiver in expenses and facilities, she was shifted recently to another facility, the Xiangya-IIIrd Hospital Changsha Hunan city.

The two sons accompanying their sick mother have informed by telephone to Dawn that the management of the new hospital had threatened to detach the ventilator facility if the family failed in adjusting the hospital expenses plus the ever growing ICU charges. The two sons have claimed that they already have paid $83,333 to the hospital for operation and treatment.

Nisar Khuhro in his appeal, made through a letter sent to the ambassador on April 7, has requested to waive off medical expenses on compassionate grounds. He also appealed for an indefinite extension in the visas of the family.

Meanwhile, surgeon Nisar Baloch, President Pakistan Medical Association Karachi Chapter, Prof Tipu Sultan and Ansar Burney of the Burney Welfare Trust have also moved the Pakistani authorities to persuade the Chinese government to waive off the all bills on humanitarian grounds.

A life-time member of the Hyderabad PMA, a first female medical graduate from the lower Sindh who struggled for girl education is now on the ventilator and fighting for her life just for the sake of compassion and financial intervention.

RASHDI REMEMBERED: Rich tributes were paid to late Pir Hussain Shah Rashidi, a former senator, an articulate speaker and a columnist during a condolence meeting presided over by the Peoples Party Parliamentarians MPA, Sassui Palijo at her Gharo residence on Monday.Eulogising his literary and political services speakers, Sassui Palijo, Abdul Sattar Lohar former MPA, Ghulam Qadir Palijo and others said it iwas an irreparable loss and his name will go down in the history.

The participants offered fateha for the departed soul and expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.