Jaden, an extremely premature baby boy of Lisette, a Cameroon woman who applied for refugee status, lies inside an incubator in the neonatal ICU at Hanyang University Medical Center in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on December 4. / Kwon Do-hyun

Jaden weighed 840 grams when he came into this world on October 24. He was only inside his mother’s womb for 25 weeks and five days. He was born with his brain, bones and organs not fully grown. He was classified as an extremely premature baby and went straight into an incubator. Now, six months after his birth, he weighs 1.2 kg, but he still has to stay in the hospital for over a month.

On December 4, the hospital sent out Jaden’s bill, charging over 89 million won. This included the cost of his stay in the incubator, various injections he received, the cost of the respirator, and treatment for a cerebral hemorrhage. By the time he is ready to leave the hospital, his hospital bill is expected to exceed 200 million won. Jaden’s mother, Lisette has no money and no job. She comes to the hospital every day praying that her baby be healthy. On the day the Kyunghyang Shinmun met Lisette, she had traveled two hours by train from her residence in Paju to see her baby.

Lisette has applied for refugee status. She lost her family in a civil war in her native land of Cameroon. In 2017, a unit of armed separatists began a battle claiming to establish an independent country called Ambazonia in the northwest and southwest English-speaking region against the French-speaking government and ruling class. Last year in March, the government troops charged into Lisette’s home in Kumba, in the northwest of Cameroon. After asking her father, who was the village chief, whose side he was one, they killed her two older brothers. Lisette escaped through the back door. She arrived in South Korea on March 17, 2018 after flying through Kenya and China. At the end of last year, she heard from an attorney that her father had died. She lost contact with her mother after hearing that she was in a refugee camp in Nigeria.

She had the baby after she came to South Korea. The baby’s father was also from Cameroon, but he returned home even before she was able to tell him news of the baby. Lisette worked in a sewing factory in Paju, while the baby grew in her body. She had no other way to make a living, and she had no one to help her. Her only comfort was the insurance benefits from work. She thought she would be able to cover the cost of her childbirth and hospital fees with the insurance. But she was fired from her job on September 9. She applied for refugee status as soon as she entered the country, but there is no knowing when it will be determined.

A month and a half after she was fired, Jaden was born. Lisette was at a loss at the premature delivery. When she went to Hanyang University Medical Center, her water had already broken. She had no idea that the hospital bill would be so astronomical.

According to current law, a person who has applied for refugee status is not subject to health insurance. So Lisette cannot receive support for some treatments that a health insurance subscriber can receive. People who are recognized as refugees or have humanitarian stay permits can subscribe to local health insurance, but refugee applicants are an exception. Her health insurance from work was naturally terminated when she got fired. So when Jaden is discharged from the hospital, Lisette will have to shoulder what could be more than 200 million won in hospital bills.

People from all over the country appeared to help Lisette facing challenges that the state and institutions could not solve. The Roman Catholic Church got in contact with Lisette and helped with her daily life. They plan to take care of Jaden for over a month when he is discharged from the hospital. Aid supplies that came to the hospital were delivered to Lisette. The Social Welfare Team at Hanyang University Medical Center launched a fund-raising campaign and also asked NGOs for support. So far they have collected 20 million won. But they still have a long way to go to meet the expected hospital bill.

Recently, Lisette is looking into a process, through which she can apply for health care support. The Refugee Act stipulates health care support for refugee applicants, but it lacks practicality. It is mentioned in a pamphlet on the application for refugee status and on the Ministry of Justice website, but if you don’t look carefully, it is difficult to even know that such a policy exists. The application form for health care support is not open to the public. One has to ask about it at the immigration office. Applicants also have to undergo a review after they submit the form. The budget is slightly over 26 million won.

A representative of the hospital said, “Our hospital was the first to deliver a baby of a refugee applicant. The number of people applying for refugee status is increasing, but at this rate, they can face various problems concerning costs due to unexpected treatment, as well as childbirth.” Kim Yeon-ju, an attorney at NANCEN Refugee Rights Center said, “People who apply for refugee status are not subject to health insurance, so the burden from health care costs is particularly heavy. They have trouble finding employment, so they can’t enjoy benefits from their workplace.” She further said, “When it comes to health care, refugee applicants are in the blind spot of the law. We need to approach health care as a universal right.”

Lisette, who had constantly cried from concerns about money and her child, smiled for the first time as she mentioned her child and her dream. She said she wanted the child, who survived after being treated for a cerebral hemorrhage, to grow up to be a brain specialist. She said, “There are many sick children in Africa, including my home, Cameroon. But there are not that many medical staff that can treat complicated diseases like brain disorders. I would like it if Jaden can later look after those children.” Lisette plans to study Korea and go onto college when she is recognized as a refugee. Lisette said, “I thank the hospital for accepting my child without thinking about the money. Jaden is my only family. I will do my best so that the child can grow up healthy and become a great person.”

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