A WORRIED family is appealing for help to pay the medical bills of a desperately ill father in Zimbabwe.

Nigel Hunt, 57, was admitted to an intensive care unit at Avenues Clinic, Harare, after being admitted with severe stomach pains on July 11.

A CAT scan showed that Mr Hunt had three cysts on his pancreas but he was not stable enough to be operated on and received five blood transfusions and blood platelets.

By Tuesday July 14 he was stable enough for an operation but surgeons found one of the cysts had burst and had to drain three litres of toxic fluid from his abdomen. He spent several days in a coma and remains in a critically ill condition, dipping in and out of consciousness and battling a high fever and septicaemia.

But there is no National Health Service in Zimbabwe and every day Mr Hunt is in hospital, his medical bills are continuing to increase.

His son, Robert, 26, and daughter-in-law, Stacey, 25, who live in Belmont, are asking for people to help save Mr Hunt's life by donating towards the cost of his treatment, which is already at more than $20,000 USD.

Stacey, who has remained in the UK while her husband is at his father's bedside, said: "We have sent our entire savings over and have nothing left to give. Once we have hit the bottom we have got nothing else.

"His medical insurance is refusing to cover the cost for his care and they will not treat him unless we pay beforehand. It's his life at the end of the day."

Stacey and Robert both grew up in Zimbabwe and each moved separately to the UK between 2007 and 2009.

Nigel is originally from the UK but lived in Zimbabwe for many years before returning briefly to the UK in 2007 and then going back to his adopted home country with his wife, Irene, in 2013.

The family has considered bringing him back to the UK but he is too unstable and there are fears that he would not survive the journey.

The final medical bill is expected to top $30,000 USD and if it is not found then ongoing treatment will cease. It could mean Mr Hunt would have move to one of the country's poorer hospitals with fewer facilities and where he would face a much bleaker outlook.

Mrs Hunt added: "I basically just want to beg for help and for people to become aware of it and spread the word. This our last resort. If we weren't desperate we wouldn't be doing it at all."

To make a donation and help save Mr Hunt's life, visit https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/1363254