Treatment of April 10 victim aborted Untreated Yusupha Mbye returns from UK
Family fear renewed trauma In a sad and cruel twist of events Yusupha Mbye
one of the still suffering victims of the April 10 2000 student tragedy who
narrowly brushed with death was flown back from the UK last weekend without
any improvement in his condition. Yusupha was wheeled to the private block of
the Royal Victoria Hospital where he had been confined for more than a year
before a month’s spell at Tayside University hospital in Dundee, Scotland for
surgical treatment. His discharge from the hospital after fourteen days and
his subsequent flight home seem to be the latest sequel to a mystifying trail
of circumstances, which left the student worse off than his family and friend
were hoping for. In a letter Ref: 320/189/01/part iv/( ) from the Department
of State for Health and Social Welfare addressed to the Gambian High
Commissioner in London for the attention of one Mr. Faye, one L. Yabou
deputising for the permanent secretary said that an amount of D298, 375.00
(13,750 pounds) meant as Yusupha Mbye’s hospital bill was paid by the former
to the latter. The said Mr. Faye wrote back confirming receipt of the said
amount and promised to effect payment to Tayside University Hospital
accordingly (Ref: GHC/L/18C (EF). However, an earlier letter from Tayside
University Hospital addressed to Dr. M. Jallow the chief Executive of the
Royal Victoria Hospital had alluded that they were being owed an outstanding
bill regarding the treatment of Corporal John Ndure of The Gambian Armed
Forces, which amounted to 4, 600 pounds. According to the letter it was
supposed to have been paid in full prior to treating patients. The letter
further stated that once this bill has been settled Yusupha Mbye will be
booked for an appointment with the consultant. Yusupha was flown out in late
October, spent fourteen days in the hospital and got discharged without
treatment or any improvement in his condition. In an exclusive interview with
The Independent just after landing at the Banjul International Airport,
Yusupha was plain and critical, saying his trip abroad has been ludicrous for
he had gained nothing from it. He said the first sign of failure was the lack
of any arrangement at the airport in Scotland to receive him and his escort
Jumani Janneh. He said Jumani ended up calling the hospital to collect them
from the airport after it became clear to them that Gambia High Commission
staffs were nowhere to be found. According to Yusupha he underwent a series
of x-rays and scan tests, which culminated in physiotherapy sessions. The
hapless victim of last year’s student tragedy, which left more than ten
students dead, said this was the only treatment he had received until he was
discharged two weeks later when the hospital discovered that only
physiotherapy instead of surgery was required for his condition. He explained
that upon discharge he was taken to the old residence of The Gambia High
Commissioner in London to wait for the next available flight home. He told
The Independent that his brother who is currently studying in the UK made
valiant but fruitless efforts to facilitate an extension of his stay so that
another hospital would be contacted. He said when all efforts failed he was
finally flown back to the Banjul International Airport where he said “
interestingly enough” there was no ambulance at the airport to transport him
to the RVH. Now he is back in his old room at the Private Block of the RVH,
haunted by old and new memories and the trauma of his long-running ordeal as
a patient in dire need of medical help to become normal again. Summing up his
reaction to this cruel twist of events Yusupha said “I went to the UK with
the hope of getting better and returning home to continue school but look at
me now…”. The visibly shaken boy who keeps nostalgic memories of school with
his peers said his greatest wish was a face-to-face meeting with President
Jammeh to explain the extent of the damage done not only to him physically
but to his prospects of going back to school. “I have been taken abroad for
treatment on two occasions, one to Egypt and now this one to the UK, but both
have been dogged by disappointment and frustration. Now I want to meet
President Jammeh and urge him to do something fast for I can’t bear this
anymore” he managed to say before an impending sob. The mood of his family
has understandably transformed from one of relief and hope a month ago to a
state of worry and despair. They claimed they were deliberately kept in the
dark by the Department of Health in all matters concerning Yusupha’s
treatment here and abroad. They said they were only informed of his
evacuation to the UK the night before he left while no family member was
allowed to escort him. “This is unfair to us and the boy. We needed to know
what was happening at every given time” his sister protested to The
Independent. Fatou Mbye pointed out that her brother’s eighteen-month
confinement to a hospital bed at the RVH had caused a big strain to the
family financially and psychologically. She said the worst she and the rest
of the family could hope for was to bear the brunt of the same tortuous
experience in the wake of Yusupha’s return as the same helpless patient who
left The Gambia last month. Yusupha’s family appealed to the government,
United Nations agencies, NGOs, the private sector and Samaritans to help end
the plight of Yusupha who has been variously described as the most notable
case to result from the April 10 incident. Officials of the Department of
Health could not be reached for comments because of the weekend break.
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