Eman Ahmed to Pak nationals, Sushma Swaraj ensured medical visas for all

The announcement on Diwali had come days after she had granted visas to a string of patients, including a child suffering from eye cancer, a bone marrow transplant patient and two others for liver transplant surgeries.

Syed Baseer Imam Zaidi had received a visa to undergo a liver transplant in India after his son reached out to Swaraj on Twitter for the same. Muhammad Waqar, too, had been granted an emergency visa after he tweeted to Swaraj.

Anamta Farrukh, who was suffering from eye cancer, had been granted an emergency medical visa, while Saqib Shahzad had travelled to India for his son’s bone marrow transplant.

In another case, which rose to international attention, Swaraj sped up the visa process for an Egyptian woman to be treated in India. Eman Ahmed, 36, who was from Alexandria, came to India in 2017 for a kidney transplant. She was treated in Mumbai, before being shifted to Abu Dhabi where she passed away.

Thanks for bringing this to my notice. We will definitely help her. pic.twitter.com/l6RfC5bWE4 https://t.co/fWBYilbPIY

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 6, 2016

Swaraj had also helped Faiza Tanveer, 25, who was suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, a cancerous oral tumor. Tanveer had tweeted to Swaraj after her application for a medical visa was rejected by the Indian Embassy. Her last-ditch attempt on Twitter came after she had paid an advance of Rs 10 lakh for the treatment, but her visa was rejected. At the time, her mother had claimed that her visa was rejected due to the deteriorating India-Pakistan ties.

A two-month-old child from Pakistan, who suffered from a heart disease, had also been granted a medical visa. After being denied one for three months, her father had taken to Twitter to seek the intervention of Swaraj. She had immediately stepped in: “The child will not suffer. Please contact Indian High Commission in Pakistan. We will give the medical visa.”

Swaraj passed away on Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. She will be cremated at Lodhi crematorium this afternoon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation is paying tribute to one of India’s most admired leaders.