SAD. Yesterday as I sat at the waiting room of the Eye Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), I heard a conversation which I cannot but share because I believe every parent needs to be aware.
I listened to a mother narrate her heart-wrenching ordeal in the past 7 months. She said, sometime in December last year, as her 5 year old son returned from school, his school bus was intercepted and hijacked by 'ritualists' in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
Unfortunately, her son sat in the front seat. A young man, one of the 'ritualist' forced the bus door open, grabbed her son, held him down and began the heinous act of gouging out his left eye. Thank God he had not completely removed the eyeball when eyewitnesses raised alarm and he was apprehended before he could escape. But others escaped.
Already considerable damage had been done to tissues around his eye. Immediately, He was rushed to General Hospital Ikorodu nearby, where he was turned back because of the great extent of the injury and referred to LASUTH Ikeja and from there to LUTH. The waiting game began. An emergency case brought on a Thursday had to wait till Saturday for surgery to be done.
She said flesh was taken from another part of his body for tissue reconstruction around the affected eye. She spent 3 months in LUTH, day and night caring for her son on admission. She had to stop breastfeeding her younger child to attend to him. So far 2 surgeries have been done and he is far from perfect.
I saw her son running all over the reception and having fun like a child that he is, but he constantly has terrible pains. He wears dark glasses to protect the eyes from the sun and dust. The eye is not yet restored to its normal state and I do not know what the prognosis is.
Now her family is to fly him to the USA for better care. She lamented about the sluggish process and attitude to emergencies in Nigeria. She feels there could have been less damage if the 1st surgery was carried out promptly. Again she was here waiting for the doctors to sign medical papers and documents so they can proceed abroad for better treatment.
The heartbroken mother said the criminal is currently in prison, while the case is in the court. I really hope there will be no miscarriage of justice because 'ritualist' usually have prominent sponsors or godfathers.
How can a human being want to take out a child’s eyes in the name of ritual or for whatever?
Why should government condone ritualistic activities? Most of these arise from pagan beliefs and Ikorodu, Lagos has always been notorious in this regard.
Is a school authority supposed to employ guards with AK47 machine guns to protect her pupils?
How can our healthcare delivery be brought to standard?
Why should a mother have to go through such an ordeal which she never planned for?
Let’s assume the child will recover physically. What about the psychological trauma to the child?
These are the many questions in my head. This family is one of the few that can afford to go abroad for better treatment. What of the many who will have to stick to a dilapidated healthcare delivery, where they would keep waiting?
How can a human being want to take out a child’s eyes in the name of ritual or for whatever?
Why should government condone ritualistic activities? Most of these arise from pagan beliefs and Ikorodu, Lagos has always been notorious in this regard.
Is a school authority supposed to employ guards with AK47 machine guns to protect her pupils?
How can our healthcare delivery be brought to standard?
Why should a mother have to go through such an ordeal which she never planned for?
Let’s assume the child will recover physically. What about the psychological trauma to the child?
These are the many questions in my head. This family is one of the few that can afford to go abroad for better treatment. What of the many who will have to stick to a dilapidated healthcare delivery, where they would keep waiting?
Source: True Story Narrated by a Mother to 9jaFlave on 19th July, 2013
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