Victims of Ochanja market building collapse in Onitsha Anambra State have raised the alarm over suspension of their treatments following failure to pay their medical bills.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo, at the time of the incident, had promised to offset the medical bills of the surviving victims.
But spokesman of the victims Mr Simon Chijioke told journalists that they were no longer receiving treatments from the hospitals they were admitted to due to lack of money to pay for their bills.
“Hospital treating the victims of Ochanja market building collapse in Onitsha Anambra State have stopped treatment due non payments.
“We have resigned to fate waiting for the promise of the governor to off set our medical bills.
Meanwhile, leadership of the market have given N700,000.00 to the surviving 27 persons of the building collapse at the Ochanja market .
Simon Chijioke who fell from the two storey building and had a fracture said the market leaders through their women wing gave 27 of them N20,000.00 and some N23,000.00 each to take care of their medical expenses.
“They made sure that everyone of us got something and it is not the amount that matters but the heart and intention to assist us and we commend them for that ” he stated.
Similarly against the initial report that six persons died as a result of the building collapse , additional two more persons died at a private hospital where they were rushed to on that fateful day.
Chijioke however said that the number of those working at the site before the building collapsed was 125 persons, noting that despite the six persons confirmed death two more persons later died at White Chapel Hospital Onitsha.
Narrating his escaped from the collapsed from two storey building at Ochanja Simon Chijioke said he was up working on the parapet when he heard a laud noise, people shouting from the down stairs and he looked down and saw someone shouting at me to find my way that the building was collapsing.
According to him, when it became clear that he may get killed he had to jump from the upstairs and fell down.
“They took me to the White Chapel Hospital along with two other victims but one died at the hospital when we got there and the other one died two days after when I was able to contact his elder brother on phone” he said .
Chairman of Onitsha South local government area Chief Emeka Joseph Orji explained that the compilation of the list of victims have been concluded stating that last minute arrangements have been done for the payment.
“You all know that government has a process and the governor had directed us to compile the their names which we have done and we appeal to those hospitals to continue to provide them with the best medical attention available and we guarantee those medical institutions that all would be settled” he said.
