The parents of a six-month-old infant are in a conundrum. The child needs urgent medical care in New Zealand which has been paid for by the Government but they have no money to take him there.

Darzan Palemia has a critical heart condition and failure to get him treated will be dire, an outcome his parents do not want to contemplate.

Speaking to Samoa Observer, Darzan’s mother Peniane Papalii said the only income they have is from her husband.

As tears streamed down her face, Peniane said she felt helpless and did not know where to turn to get financial assistance for her baby's medical treatment overseas.

Baby Darzan was born on September 2024 with a heart disease. Peniane said the Government of Samoa can only pay for the medical treatment.

"The fares for me and baby, the visa and the oxygen that will be used on the aeroplane are to be paid by us, the family," she said.

Peniane said her husband just found a job working as a porter at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital and his salary can only provide for their family of eight’s daily needs.

"With the high cost of living nowadays, we don't even know where to turn to just to take our baby to New Zealand for medical treatments,” she said sobbingly.

"We need to take baby Darzan overseas urgently but we are stuck due to financial difficulties.

"There's a Samoan saying "ua le ma le mativa, (I'm not embarrassed to ask for help because of how poor we are) but this is the only way we can take our baby overseas.”

Peniane and Palemia Pepa have six children and five are in school.

The couple from Lalovaea and Falelauniu couple are asking for assistance so that they can save baby Darzan.