Jos Explosion Victims Feel Abandoned By Government

Families of Jos explosion survivors, who were admitted to various city hospitals, complain of the government neglect to the victims' fate.

Photo: Jos explosion victims
The main cause of concern for most of the patients, who suffered from third degree burns and major wounds, is that their relatives can't afford to buy the necessary drugs.

However Plateu State authorities and the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Alhaji Sani Sidi vowed to pay for the victim's treatment.

One of the man, whose family member is located at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), explained to The Nation correspondent that treatment at the intensive care unit is so expensive that nobody can afford it adding that each medicine costs N2,500. Plus feeding. He said they had to borrow money to pay for it all.

"But we hear on government radio that government is footing medical bill. How, when? At the moment, these victims need drugs to survive and government is nowhere to be found."

Relative of a patient, Audu Daman, blamed the authorities for just "making propaganda", saying that the families have to buy drugs every day.

"We have spent close to N20,000 and we are already exhausted. We have been borrowing money for feeding and drugs."

He said many victims might die because of lack of drugs in the hospitals.

The survivors' families, scared of losing their beloved, begged the government to help them in paying for treatment as soon as possible.

The twin explosion rocked the crowded Jos market on May 20. Conflicting data provide the number of casualties from 118 to 200 people. Scores of victims were admitted to hospitals with various degrees of ijuries.