Sickness and homesickness for Yemen's refugees

When Yemeni nationals landed in India for medical treatment, over a month ago, they had no inkling that they would be stranded here. They had taken up lodgings in Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi. In Mumbai, up to 450 Yemenis are stranded, and longing to return to their country.

But they see no ray of hope. What with airports closed in Yemen and no outbound flights leaving from India to Yemen, their chances of return look bleak. They are staying put in cramped conditions at the mercy of the Consulate and other Muslim NGOs in Jamat Khanas (community halls for Muslim gatherings) and cheap hotels.

dna talks to ailing Yemeni men, women and children, most of them suffering from ailments of the kidney, heart, bone, and cancer. While most have completed their treatment and are aching to return to their homes, some are still ailing. And short of money.

Fatema Saleh Ali Dijan, 30

30-year-old Fatema Saleh Ali Dijan's right eye peers out of the tiny slit in her hijab. Her left eye is swollen and permanently closed. Five months ago, the resident of Sanaa had been discharged from Prince Aly Khan hospital in Mazgaon after being operated upon for a brain tumour. After her return to Sanaa, five months ago, she said, her left eye became sightless. "My eye just would not open. I returned to Mumbai a month ago to find out what had gone wrong. Doctors told me that the brain tumour surgery had left the visual nerve impaired due to accumulated pressure in the brain. This caused the blindness in the left eye," said Fatema. She has been stuck in Mumbai for a month with her husband Abdul Dijan (33), who is a soldier in President Hadi's camp. She has already spent over three lakh rupees for her treatment in India. Fatema worries incessantly for her five little children who she has left back home with their grandmother Amina (50). "While my eldest boy Sakr is seven, my daughter Manal is six. Mohammed and Mazen are five and three, while my youngest baby Najimuddin is one. My mother Amina becomes tense when I talk to her on phone. She tells me my children are sick and wailing most of the time. I worry for the well being of my family back home," said Fatema.

Raimas Mohammed Ahmed Al Alam, 4

4-year-old baby Raimas Mohammed Ahmed Al Alam is playing with her mother Kamar's (40) cellphone. Raimas has a hole in her heart. A month ago, she underwent corrective surgery at Apollo Hospital in Delhi. Raimas misses her twin sister Rawaan, who is three thousand miles away in the town of Hodedah. Raimas needs another surgery, next year, to correct her condition, Kamar said. "We have already spent two and half lakh rupees to get Raimas's first surgery. In Yemen, the medical facilities are paltry, while in India they are expensive. Raimas's heart condition was discovered when she was one. We waited for three years so that the Yemeni government would fund her surgery, but to no avail. We managed to collect enough money for Raimas's surgery from charitable trusts in Hodedah. For the second surgery though, we require at least another four and a half lakh rupees," she said. More than the mounting expenses, Kamar is worried about her six children back home. "All of them are huddled together at our Hodedah home. The oldest Husam (21), who goes to college, is looking after all the others, my younger daughter Asma (17), Ashjaan (14), Imaan (10) and Rawan (4) and son Ahmad (12). They are all scared for their life as there is no elder person at home. They are petrified as the town is under attack," says Kamar as her eyes sadden and well up with tears. "There no food, water, electricity or gas back home."

Shakeeb Ahmed Mohammed Qahtan, 36

36-year-old Shakeeb Ahmed Mohammed Qahtan is a worried man. Both his legs have reddened and swollen to double their size. Shakeeb, who was admitted for about two weeks (until March 19) at Fortis Hospital in Mulund for his kidney ailment, no longer has money for treatment. "I spent over two lakh rupees at Fortis, but was not satisfied with their treatment. A few weeks ago, they asked for an additional four and half lakh rupees to go ahead with the treatment. I have no money left. At the Fortis hospital, they asked me to deposit more money or seek discharge. The initial amount of over two lakh rupees that I had spent have gone down the drain. I have filed a complaint with the Consulate office and Mumbai police regarding this," said Shakeeb. Dr PN Vaswani, consulting surgeon at Saifee and Breach Candy Hospital said that Shakeeb needs to be admitted to hospital to remove stones in his kidney, otherwise his condition will worsen. Shakeeb is lying in the Kutchi Loharwada Sunni Muslim Jamat Khana at Masjid Bunder in a dire state. "I am in urgent need of medical help. If I do not get admitted in the hospital within two days my condition will worsen. My kidneys that have heavily deteriorated may stop functioning," said Shakeeb. "The pain in my abdomen is excruciating. I cannot sleep at night."