Bhola Bhattarai and his Daughter Puja, 17, have been living with bullet shrapnel lodged in their bodies for the last seven years. [break]
“The pain gets intolerable during winter. Doctors say a surgery to get the shrapnel removed would cost over 100,000 rupees. But we are not in a position to afford the treatment,” said Puja, a 12th grader, adding, “So, consuming painkillers have become routine.”
Puja also informed that she cannot walk properly due to the pain. “While going to attend the final examination of 11 the grade last year, I fell down due to excessive pain,” she said. “I flunked two subjects then. Still, I have to suffer as we cannot afford the surgery,” she added.
Puja´s father Bhola said it would have been better had the bullet killed him. “The pain is excruciating at times,” Bhola said. Bhola, who is a government employee, earns a monthly salary of Rs 5,000. He also runs a small eatery. “Even if I save all my earnings, it would not suffice for treatment. Moreover, no one is ready to lend money to poor people like us,” Bhola added. He sold the only plot he owned and has already spent Rs 85,000 for his and his daughter´s treatment.
Similarly, Managala Devi Chaudhari, 50, another conflict victim, has a different story to tell. Chaudhari, whose husband had died four years ago for lack of treatment, sells chana chatpate to earn a living. Her husband had received a bullet injury in the crossfire between security forces and then rebel Maoists back in 2005.
The conflict victim in Bandipur claimed that the government has not provided them any relief. The government had provided Rs 100,000 to the families of those killed during the conflict, according to Bhola, but those injured were left to fend for themselves.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Dhurba Prasad Dhakal said the victims neither came to the district hospital seeking treatment nor approached the relief committee chaired by the CDO. “We would have written to the center, if their treatment had not been possible in the district hospital,” said Dhakal.
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