I am a 32-year-old journalist, a reporter with the Newswatch magazine, in Lagos, and I have a more horrific tale to tell. I was on my way to Abuja, on October 21, 2000, when the vehicle I was travelling in, an 18-seater bus, somersaulted. Two passengers died instantly, and two died later in the hospital. I was lucky to have come out with a compound fracture of the right femur. The bones came out from my thigh. I was rushed to St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Gwagwalada, in Abuja, where they stitched the wound. He was later transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he was given first aid and had his first x-ray.
On the fourth day, I was told the operation would cost N120,000, excluding the N1,000 per bed per day fee. The rough estimate came to N300,000 for the three months I would spend in the hospital. But because I could not afford the medical bill, he was taken to his home town in Ogoja, Cross River State, where I began to seek traditional cure for my bone problem. Every attempt came to nought as a result of the complicated nature of my injury. It was during this period that a friend who had had a similar problem directed me to Hopeville.
On January 21, 2001, I was brought to Gboko. We met Dr. Omeonu. He explained the whole situation. We negotiated. The following day, he carried out the surgery. Now, I am on my way to recovery. The cost is moderate compared to the fee I was charged at national hospital.