Nader Al-Enizi
TABUK — A Saudi woman studying in the US has been brain dead for the past 12 days.
Hani Al-Enizi said his wife is on scholarship residing in Portland. “We are both here on scholarship. My wife Basma Al-Enizi had a severe asthma attack and was admitted to Providence Hospital in Portland.
“The hospital has been treating her for the past 12 days,” said Al-Enizi, who has been given a deadline to find a way to transport her back to the Kingdom for further treatment.
He tried his best to save her but the hospital told him they will disconnect his wife’s life-support system if he does not transport her before the given deadline.
He added that he has reached out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi Embassy for help.
“I can not transport her through private companies as they demanded over $2 million. I tried reaching out to the minister of foreign affairs and the Saudi Embassy. The process in the American medical system was too complicated,” said Al-Enizi.
Nearly 60,000 Saudi students were enrolled at American colleges in 2014-15, making Saudi Arabia the fourth-largest country of origin for international students in the US.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign university scholarship program, started in 2005, has led to big increases in the number of Saudi students at US universities. Earlier this month, the Saudi government approved more strict eligibility rules for its foreign university scholarship program.
