On a hospital bed of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) Yusuf, who volunteered to rescue victims of Rana Plaza, is still suffering from spinal cord injury.
Forty-year-old Yusuf pulled 10 workers out of the Rana Plaza rubble before he himself fell victim to secondary roof collapse.
While sharing his story, Yusuf, who has been in the hospital for around eight months after the tragic building collapse on April 24 last year, hoped he would recover soon and get back to his normal life.
Coming from Doulatdia under Rajbari Yusuf used to do farming and small businesses before he was injured. The day before the building caved in Yusuf went to visit his nephew Uzzal who worked at Rana Plaza.
When he heard about the incident he rushed to the site and volunteered to rescue people from the Rana Plaza debris.
After he had pulled 10 people out of the twisted and mangled building he was trying to save another trapped worker on the 3rd floor and just then Yusuf fell victim to a secondary roof collapse and was knocked unconscious.
Eventually he was found by other rescuers and sent to Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Later, he was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where he stayed for 5 days in the intensive care unit.
Following his stint at the DMCH Yusuf was transferred to the Apollo Hospital and had to be again in the ICU for 25 days. Afterwards, on May 25 he was sent to the CRP where he has been staying till date.
Mohammad S Hossain Mehedy, a registered doctor at the hospital for taking care of Rana Plaza survivors, however, said Yusuf’s recovery is very unlikely. “He seems to remain paralyzed for the rest of his life since he suffered from a terrible neck injury called Traumatic Tetraplegia (at level C6).
“The nature of his injury is such that Yusuf has lost normal sensory input from all of his limbs, meaning he has little or no sensation or ability to move his limbs,” Hossain added.
Yusuf’s daughter Shyamoli said: “I cannot go to school as I have to look after my father here in the CRP. My father wants me to go to school again. He also has a dream of making my brother a doctor in future.
“Our five-member family is now living on Tk10, 000 received as interest from bank against Tk100, 000 donated by the prime minister. We have nothing else. But my father still wishes to be well again and live a happy family life like earlier.” Shyamoly said.
At least 1,134 people were killed and thousands more injured when the nine-storey Rana Plaza collapsed on April 24 last year.
According to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate, 261 people have remained untraced at the site. The army identified those 261 out of 329 people who were reportedly missing after the collapse.
