Thirteen-year-old Oreoluwa Ologan is simply another victim of a mortal’s recklessness. But she may have to pay the ultimate price if other humans do not show compassion and come speedily to her rescue. Brilliant Oreoluwa, who just cleared her junior school certificate examination in flying colours did not even make it home to give her mother the good news before catastrophe struck. Olufolake Adeniyi, a close friend of the family, who is like a mother to Oreoluwa, came running to the Tribune House for help, where she gave an account of the harrowing occurrence.Adeniyi was fighting back tears as she narrated the ordeal. A tide of salt water rose steadily in her cornea, her pain was palpable but in the midst of it, she found a similitude of composure and told a tale of horror. “Oreoluwa’s mother is like a sister to me, she is like my daughter,” she began. Until the devastating accident occurred, Oreoluwa attended Bloom Height Model School, Ibadan. She was looking forward to getting a present from her mother as promised for making all her papers in the Junior West Africa Examination unknown to her that she would be hit by a vehicle. Adeniyi continued, “On 31 July, a euphoric Oreoluwa was returning home from school to give her parents the great news because she cleared all her papers. But she didn’t get home because in a close beside old farmer lot at Bashorun Area, she was knocked down and run over by an uncertified driver. Though the car was carrying no learner sign, it was evident that the boy involved did not know how to drive because he took the keys to his mother’s car and just put the car in reverse, hitting Oreoluwa who was at the back of the car with her friends.”Adeniyi explained that when she fell down and people started shouting, instead of pulling the brakes, the driver accelerated further and ran over Oreoluwa’s head. “She sustained severe head injury. The face was also affected and her brain.”
“Since that day, 31 July, Oreoluwa has been at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University College Teaching hospital (UCH), Ibadan. She has been in a state of coma. All the drugs that have been administered since that time till now do not seem to be working. Though the doctors claim that she is responding to treatment, in the eyes of a layman like me, I have noticed no visible evidence of response. She has not opened her eyes. She has been on ventilator. It is a really critical situation,” Adeniyi lamented.
According to the family friend, so much money has been spent and Oreoluwa’s parents can no longer afford the treatment. “She is on two injections per day which cost about N30, 000. The bed space at ICU per day costs a lot too. The UCH bedding fee until recently is about N700, 000. On a daily basis, close to N100, 000 is spent.”
Adeniyi also bemoaned the ongoing industrial action, adding that, “what makes matters worse is the fact that the doctors are on strike. It has been hell. She just has to come back to life that is the most important thing now.”
Unfortunately, the family of the boy who was driving the car has not been much of a financial help. His mother claimed to be a hapless widow. The case was reported at the Ikolaba Police Station, but it has not been pursued since Oreoluwa’s life is her parent’s priority.
Adeniyi, on behalf of Oreoluwa’s parents, made a passionate appeal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Engineer Seyi Makinde, public-spirited Nigerians, emphasising the fact that much financial help from well-meaning Nigerians is needed to bring Oreoluwa back to life.
“The family cannot do it alone. The daily bill at UCH is alarming. Her mother, Folasade Ologan, is beginning to lose hope because the injections are failing due to the fact that they are not being administered at the appropriate time because of funds. Her treatment is being delayed and it is affecting her.”
“We have spoken to a group in India that specialises in cases like this but the amount we were given is huge, about N5 million. So, we are trying to get consultants in UCH involved so she can get the best care possible. She has just been lying there. Though there has not been any referral so far by the doctors at UCH, they believe they are trying their best, Oreoluwa has been in coma for over 46 days.”
“We need assistance from people so that she can get out of coma. Anything anyone can assist us with will go a long way because the bill at UCH is ongoing and it is piling up. The daily bill is accumulating and we also need funds to ensure that her medications are timely. We are accumulating bills; we need money urgently so that the surgeries can be done. The doctors have said that about four to five surgeries are required to be done on the head, we need money for that. These surgeries will cost about 2 million naira if not more because they would have to reconstruct the jaw bone up to the cheek, she has a broken skull too. It is a serious accident. I may not be able to give an exact figure as the definite amount of money that is required because we don’t want a situation whereby we will peg the money at a certain range and then it is not enough or it is less. We need people to come our aid, the government, senators we need people that will take over the responsibility of treatments so that the child will have continual access to medical care. We are sticking with UCH for now because the cost of flying her pout of the country while on ventilator is huge. When she gets out of coma, we can consider other options for the neurology aspect.”
No comments:
Post a Comment