Spinal cord injury victims lament neglect, seek reintegration
Members of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), Osun State chapter, have lamented what they called their neglect by the public and are seeking reintegration into the society. Some of the affected persons told Daily Trust they were dejected, saying life had become unbearable for them due to lack of support and love […]
Members of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), Osun State chapter, have lamented what they called their neglect by the public and are seeking reintegration into the society.
Some of the affected persons told Daily Trust they were dejected, saying life had become unbearable for them due to lack of support and love from friends, relations and the public generally.
Our correspondent sighted five of the victims – Olayemi Lucky Adeleye, Adeyemi Said, Ayodeji Damilola, Olatoye Yusuf and Olakusibe Olanrewaju – at a support centre for SCIAN members at Edunabon, Osun State, where the members meet regularly to seek common solutions to their challenges. The support centre was built by SCIAN with the support of the Osun Agency for Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) to address the victims’ basic challenges.
Olaleye, on behalf of others, said that unlike before when SCIAN members were locked up in the house and abandoned, the support centre now offers them opportunity to meet and access medical materials for their treatment. He said, “After the initial treatment of spinal cord victims, most family members, friends and associates appear to become fed up with supporting them and will be waiting for them to die. The victims will be rotting away inside the room, without treatment, awaiting death.
“But this has changed. With this support centre, the victims are encouraged to come out with their wheelchairs and we get medical materials for our treatment here. We contributed money, while community development leaders and other well-wishers also assisted us to build this centre, furnish it and equip it with the necessary medical materials for our treatment. CSDP has assisted us a great deal to achieve this.”
According to him, “The centre was constructed and furnished with N4,451,885. We contributed N222,544.25 and CSDP supported it with 4,229,340.75.
The medical materials at the centre cost N3,780,000. We thank God and Mr Governor, the World Bank and Osun CSDP for this gesture which has brought a positive change to our lives.”
Olaleye, however, called for love and more support from the public, and acceptance as normal beings by the society.