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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
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Forgotten heroes by Rashomi Silva One minute he was a robust young man courageous and brave, full of life and vitality. The next moment he was an invalid, as helpless as a new born baby. He had to be fed, washed, clothed and carried from place to place. This is the plight of Rohitha Piyadasa (not his real name) _who was hit by a mortar on his neck, when he was stationed in Thiranavali in Jaffna. Doctors says he is quadriplegic, paralysed neck downwards.
Rohitha can remember the incident well. The date was November 1996. "It was a heavy fight. My colleagues and I came under heavy mortar fire. We saw our friends lying in pools of blood, some of them dead and some crying in agony. We went forward to counter the attack on our colleagues. All of a sudden it became dark and when I opened my eyes (months later as they tell me) all I knew was pain, pain and nothing but pain" Rohitha is just one of the 15,000 odd youth who became disabled for life, whilst fighting. Today he is warded at the Ranavirusevana, (RVS) the institution that provides shelter for disabled servicemen. Over 65,000 people have lost their lives, and several hundred thousands their homes. Such is the cruelty of the war that has tormented the island for well over two decades. "The peace we are experiencing today is largely due to the efforts of soldiers like Rohitha. Unfortunately the country seems to have forgotten the 'war disabled' with the signs of dawning peace", says Soniya Kottegoda, President of the Army Seva Vanitha branch. "The families that gave their husbands and children to the war are the 'lesser privileged' in society and it is sad to see them burdened with the problem of day to day life in-addition to their sufferings," she observes. "The RVS needs to be given a face lift. Some of the disabled soldiers might have to spend their entire life in the RVS and many may have to receive long-term treatment. If we can give the RVS more of a 'homely touch' we could save much of the depression, loneliness and the emptiness the young men are prone to feel in a hospital atmosphere", she adds. To get back to Rohitha's tale, his condition was termed hopeless when he was first taken to the Palaly Hospital and later transferred to the General hospital in Colombo. No one thought he would survive the injuries. For months he was in and out of consciousness, he could not recognise anyone, not even his own parents, who shed many a tear unable to witness the suffering of their beloved son. He received treatment from the General Hospital in Colombo for about two years, yet he could not even sit in a wheelchair. When Rohitha was transferred to the RVS eight years ago, the doctors had said he would have to spend the rest of his life in bed. He could barely talk and could not recognise his parents, in short he was a little more than a vegetable. "We did our best for him but we can do nothing more. He will have to spend the rest of his life like this" was what the doctors had to say. But today thanks to the RVS he is able to sit in a wheel chair and share jokes with his friends. He eagerly waits for visits from home. "We achieved all these with the help of physiotherapy, with kind words and caring" say an official in the ward complex. "I hope and pray that a day would come, when I can live like any of you", says Rohitha. They soldiers believe they can make it.And it is the 'hope' that keeps them alive explains an official. But hope alone is not enough. There is much that could be done to help Rohitha and many like him, for whom the RVS is home. And there is much the public can do to help make their life better. Hailing from a remote hamlet in Ampara, Rohitha's parents find it difficult to come to Colombo as much as they would wish. Visits to Colombo are dear, and because of financial constraints they can't take them home even on special occasions, like a family wedding or even a funeral. "We have plans to put up a housing scheme near the RVS in Ragama for the inmates so that they can live with their families and come to the RVS for treatment.If any philanthropist comes forward to assist us in this endeavour..." says Kottegoda hopefully. They have other plans too. Like putting up a sports complex, that will give the young men a means to keep themselves occupied and for that they need generous public assistance. That they need your help. Each of us, can make a difference in the lives of those who have sacrificed their limbs and their health to safeguard the territorial integrity of this land. |
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