U.S. doctors arrive for surgery on Edo kerosine victims
From Hendrix Oliomogbe and Mike Osunde, Benin
WITH the arrival of four plastic surgeons from Beverly Hills in the United States of America at Okada, Edo State at the weekend, the process of operating on some of the victims of the 2002 kerosine explosion in the state began on Monday.
But some of the victims have resolved not to participate in the surgery. They want to be taken abroad.
The leader of the team, a Chinese American, Alex Kim, said that the surgery of the 45 victims already at the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital, Okada, should be over by Saturday, this week.
According to Prof. Sam Ukponmwan, chairman of the governing council of the hospital, about 10 victims will be operated on everyday.
After leading a team of journalists to visit the victims in their wards at the hospital, the state Commissioner for Health, Mr. Godwin Ovbiagele, said the surgery would put an end to months of delay in getting the victims together for the surgery.
Accompanied by officials of his ministry, Ovbiagele lamented the long delay, saying that the government was serious about getting the victims functional instead of carrying on in their current state.
In the wards were men, women and children with varying degrees of burns. These included Mr. Samuel Oviasogie, who in the past one year led some of the victims in protest against their neglect by the government.
Oviasogie, who operated under the Kerosine Explosion Victims Association (KEVA), told journalists that the members of his association had reasons to doubt the sincerity of the government but now that he was in hospital, he was hoping for the best.
Oviasogie, who was badly burnt in the upper frame of his body, walks awkwardly with his right hand distended because of a lump of flesh hanging between his frame and his armpit.
Also at the hospital on Monday was Uwala Clifford, who was bathed in acid last year by an estranged lover.
There was also three-year-old Edwell Esakpughi and little Juda Ugbogbo whose genitals were badly mutilated by the burns and Hawa Awawu, who was badly burnt in the face resulting in enlarged ear lobes.
He assured the commissioner yesterday that all the victims would be operated upon to make them useful to themselves and the society.
