'Tree man' gets help to build own house

Bangladeshi “tree man” Abul Bajandar was given Tk 6 lakh to build a house of his own by a doctor who has been treating him at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for the last four months.

Dermatologist Prof MU Kabir Chowdhury, a member of the medical team formed for his treatment, handed a cheque of Tk 6 lakh to Abul and his family yesterday.

In his teens, warts developed from his skin on both hands and feet, which look like tree trunk and weigh almost 4 Kg.

The 26-year-old, thought to be the fourth man in the world with the rare skin disorder caused by human papilloma virus, was admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of DMCH on January 30.

Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of the institute, said five operations had so far been conducted on his hands and legs.

The warts have mostly been removed from his limbs and now the surgeons are working on beautification.

“We are hopeful of completing his treatment in four to five months,” Samanta said, adding that the overall health condition of Abul, who hails from Khulna, has improved significantly in the last couple of months.

Abul told The Daily Star, “After the completion of my treatment, I want to live like a healthy man and to run a business.”