KOCHI: Jaseena broke down as the ambulance carrying her husband Salim made its way to a private hospital in the city. Hailing from Mathilakam in Kodungallur, she arrived at the Kochi airport along with her brother at 8.30pm to wait for the arrival of the first flight from Abu Dhabi.
Her husband Salim, 45, employed as a driver in Abu Dhabi for the past 25 years, had suffered a paralytic stroke following a heart ailment two months ago. The family had approached the Indian Embassy with the help of Minister V S Sunil Kumar.
On Wednesday Jaseena was informed of the repatriation of her husband. “My husband had suffered a paralytic stroke a few days before the lockdown kicked in. He was admitted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi. We had been trying desperately to bring him back to Kerala,” said Jaseena.
Since it is a medical emergency, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi considered shifting Salim on the first flight itself. Only one person was allowed to reach the terminal from where the wheelchair-bound Salim was shifted to the ambulance. Jaseena could not meet her husband but she is happy her husband was shifted to a hospital with better facilities.