Feb 6, 2008, 4:29 GMT
Wellington - A 5-month-old Samoan baby born with a severely disfigured face is to get surgery in the United States after she was refused entry to New Zealand for treatment, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Miracletina Nanai will be flown to Miami Childrens' Hospital with her parents on Monday after the US embassy in Apia, capital of the Pacific island state of Samoa, issued visas for the family, Wellington's Dominion Post reported.
New Zealand immigration authorities refused entry for the girl in December, saying granting visas would give the family false hope after three specialists said surgery would not cure her.
A paediatric neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon in Miami have offered their services free, the paper said.
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