News
Acid Attack in Nepal; Victims Unable to Eat or Speak
This article originally appeared in the Himalayan Times, a Nepalese newspaper. To read it in its original context, please click here.
Purna Bahadur Pun (40) and his wife Nirmala (35) are in dire need of emergency medical intervention.
On August 11, 2011, a band of five people had poured acid on the two and set them on fire while they were asleep. Purna Bahadur had his mouth and arms burnt, while Nirmala had her eyes, mouth and arms burnt in the attack. Both the victims can neither eat nor speak.
After the attack, the neighbours had rushed the couple to the Jajarkot district hospital for treatment. Currently, they are receiving free treatment at the Rukum-based Chaurjahari community hospital.
The condition of the victims is deteriorating fast as they cannot afford proper treatment due to poverty .
According to attending doctors, the couple need to undergo plastic surgery, which may cost about one million rupees. As the treatment is not available at local health facilities, the hospital is preparing to send them to a well-equipped health facility for treatment.
Meanwhile, the acid attackers continue to evade justice.
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ASTI’s in-country partner in Nepal, Burns Violence Survivors (BVS) is working to end acid and burns violence in Nepal, and support survivors there. They have been notified of this attack, and will take the opportunity to work with the survivors if possible. Many areas of Nepal are difficult to get in and out of, both due to treacherous geography and political difficulties. (Rukum District is known for being a flashpoint for Maoist activity, creating instability for the area’s residents.) Consequently, it can be difficult and dangerous to move burns patients to an area where they can receive better medical treatment. Once burns patients begin treatment, they need to eat a high protein diet so their bodies can heal more quickly. BVS Nepal provides diet supplements and other essential services to burns violence survivors, which you can read about here.
Posted on October 14th 2011 by Office in ASTI news
