Ghana woke up to the news of a twin disaster of flood and fire at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on June 3, 2015 claiming over 150 lives and leaving many devastated and traumatised.
The incident left behind burnt properties, charred bodies and many lives scarred for life.
One of such people still wearing their scars that remind them of what many describe as a nightmare is Kasim Suraj. The victim is still nursing his wounds close to three years after the disaster.
Kasim was burnt beyond recognition. He also lost his wife and son as well as his brother in the disaster.
Although, most of his burns have been treated with just scars to show, Kasim Suraj is still battling with his head injury.
He has been in and out of the hospital since 2015 after having been on admission for over a year after the incident.
Kasim has had to undergo about 15 head surgeries for over two years now, but he is yet to recover fully from his head injury.
He was discharged from the 37 hospital in July 2017 but has been feeling pain in his head.
Speaking to 3news.com, Kasim stated that his head injury is still a problem to him and he has been living in pain for some months.
“My problem is my head, sometimes I cannot sleep or even turn around and my head discharges. My brother has to put me to bed and dress my wounds,” Kasim lamented.
According to Kasim, he is expected to undergo another head surgery, which he cannot afford.
He stated that he had been going for reviews at the 37 hospital, but he was unable to purchase the drugs prescribed for him on many occasions.
“When I go to the hospital for review, I am unable to buy the drugs they prescribe for me because they are expensive. I have stopped going for the review for some time now because I end up not buying the prescribed drugs and transportation to the hospital is also an issue for me.”
According to Kasim, he resorted to selling all his properties to treat himself but he is out of funds now since his head injury would not allow him to work.
Prior to the incident, Kasim Suraj was a driver who plied his trade along the Circle-Accra route, but has been advised by his doctors to desist from driving since it could worsen his plight.
For Kasim, the June 3 incident has been a nightmare he wished never happened; he still gets flashbacks of the incident.
“I wasn’t alone on that day, I was with my wife, son and brother, and I lost them all to the disaster,” he recounted.
Kasim Suraj’s only wish is to get financial support to undergo another surgery and get back on his feet to his normal life.
By Irene Amesimeku| 3news.com| Ghana]]>