'Tree-man' gives up hope

Star File Photo

Abul Bajandar, 28, dubbed "tree-man" for massive bark-like warts on his hands and feet, left Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Saturday, giving up hopes of a full recovery after around two and half years of treatment.

He had a surgery scheduled to be held this week, which would be his 26th.

“My last surgery was done around four months back, but new warts are coming out from most of the places where surgeries were done. It is not improving,” said a hapless Bajandar.

Doctors saying it is a genetic problem, and will not be cured totally, also contributed to the frustration, he said.

“I am still feeling pain at the points where warts have come out in both hands and legs and are now around half inches in size,” he said.

Bajandar also claimed that he is not getting attention from the hospital authorities like earlier.

“Earlier, my family members (wife and a kid) and I used to get meals from the hospital, but since May 8, authorities are providing meals only to me,” Bajandar said.

Finally, on Thursday, he wanted to go to his village home in Paikgachha of Khulna to enjoy Eid-ul-Fitr with his family and relatives, but the authorities did not allow him to go.

Later, the authorities gave him a form where it was written that he is going home with his own decision and the authorities would not held responsible for any untoward incidents, he said, adding that he left the hospital on Saturday afternoon.

Burn expert Samanta Lal Sen, who was supervising the treatment of Bajander, said he left the hospital suddenly without informing them.

He said the treatment was going on in a systematic way, and they hoped that his condition would be improved significantly after few more surgeries.

“If he wants to return for treatment, the authorities will give him the same support,” he said.

About the meals, he said Bajandar was provided meals following the system of the hospital, but they were thinking about providing meals to his family members as well in alternative ways.

The warts, which first started appearing when Bajander was a teenager but began spreading rapidly four years ago, have been diagnosed as epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare genetic skin disease that makes the person susceptible to skin growths.

He was undergoing free treatment under the supervision of Samanta Lal since January 30, 2016.

Bajander came to mainstream attention after reports were published about him in newspapers.

Bajander, who is now home, requested the prime minister to send him abroad if the treatment facility is not available in Bangladesh.