The SR250,000 hospital bill of a male Filipino worker who claimed he was gang-raped by several young men, remains unpaid.

McCormick Rabina had revealed his identity on Facebook a week ago to highlight his plight, claiming that little was being done to assist him. He is being kept at a private hospital in Riyadh until he pays his bill.

The story published by Arab News has garnered attention here and in the Philippines. Rafael E. Seguis, the undersecretary at the Philippines’ department of foreign affairs, has responded to Rabina’s appeal.

Seguis said he went to the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) to consult with Ambassador Eric Endaya, executive director of OUMWA, on the hospital costs of the worker. “An instruction will be sent to the Riyadh embassy shortly to hopefully resolve this issue,” Seguis said in his short letter copied to Arab News.

He said that the government office did not have the budget to cover the entire bill. “It might be necessary to negotiate with the hospital to reduce the bill on humanitarian grounds,” he said.

The Philippine Embassy said in a statement on Tuesday that the case is still under investigation by the Saudi police and that officials were doing everything they could to help him. The statement comes a week after Arab News’ report on the case.

“The Philippine embassy continues its efforts to extend appropriate assistance to a Filipino worker who suffered severe injuries after being attacked by unknown assailants in May 2014,” a statement posted on its website said.

The embassy said Rabina remains confined in a private hospital in Riyadh, but has recovered from his injuries and is now in a stable condition.

“Since Rabina was admitted to the hospital in May 2014, embassy representatives have regularly visited him and have coordinated with local law enforcement authorities over the assault case. The embassy has conveyed its appreciation to the management and staff of the hospital for the care and hospitality it has extended and continues to extend to Rabina,” the statement said.

“However, outstanding issues remain that are related to the payment of the medical bills incurred during Rabina’s treatment and stay in the private hospital, which is the main reason why he has yet to be discharged.”

The payment of his medical bills has been the subject of “numerous discussions between various embassy representatives, hospital officials, the medical insurance company, and Rabina’s employer,” the statement added.

“In a meeting with embassy representatives earlier this week, hospital officials mentioned that the insurance company denied the claim to cover his medical bills in light of certain details of the circumstances that led to Rabina’s assault that emerged during the police investigation.”

“After the embassy’s meeting with the hospital’s management, Rabina was informed in detail of the issues related to his hospital bill and actions that have been taken and may be pursued with the hospital, insurance company and the employer.”

“The embassy continues to be steadfast in its assistance to Rabina with the aim of resolving the matter of his hospital bills and facilitating his eventual discharge from the hospital soonest,” the statement said.