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| Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre in Bedfordshire, where Roseline Akhalu is being detained |
Roseline Akhalu, 48, a Nigerian university graduate, came to the UK in 2004 on a Ford Foundation scholarship to do a masters degree in development studies at Leeds University. Soon after arriving she was diagnosed with renal failure and began treatment the following year. In 2009 she had a successful kidney transplant but needs regular hospital check-ups and immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of her life.
The Home Office tried to remove her last month but her solicitor, Hani Zubeidi, launched judicial review proceedings, which are ongoing. The removal was halted pending the outcome of the legal action. She is currently detained in Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre in Bedfordshire.
Reliance, the UK Border Agency subcontractor, has launched an investigation into the way Akhalu was treated en route to Yarl's Wood. She claims that she was refused permission to use the toilet despite her medical condition and despite the presence of a medic alongside the escorts in the van. Zubeidi has requested CCTV from the van but has not yet received it.
"If the Home Office send me back to Nigeria there is definitely no way I can survive," said Akhalu. "I'm a widow, with no children. I have very few family members and even if treatment was available in Nigeria I would have no means to pay for it.
"One part of your country – the NHS – gave me my life back. But now another part – the Home Office – wants to take my life away. I'm feeling very low and know that I'm approaching my death bed if they send me back."
Akhalu is a prominent member of St Augustine's Catholic church in Harehills, Leeds. She has the backing of both the Catholic and Anglican bishops of Leeds, as well as the city's lord mayor, the Rev Alan Taylor, and her MP, Greg Mulholland.
Mulholland and the bishop of Leeds, the Right Rev John R Packer, have written to the immigration minister Damian Green urging him to intervene in Akhlau's case.
Her doctors have tried to make contact with renal specialists in Nigeria to ask what treatment would be available for Akhalu but according to Zubeidi they have received no response.
"Roseline's consultants at St James's hospital in Leeds have warned that if she is sent back to Nigeria where she cannot get appropriate treatment she could lose her renal transplant within one month, leading to premature death," said Zubeidi. "They say that if her transplant fails she will die."
Akhalu said the way she was treated by Reliance escorts after her arrest was "humiliating and degrading".
"Because of my medical condition I am not supposed to delay urinating. The Reliance escorts who were taking me to Yarl's Wood stopped in Manchester. I begged them to take me to the toilet when we stopped but they refused. Instead I was given a small plastic bag and told to urinate in that in the van instead."
A UKBA spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases. The UK Border Agency expects the highest standards of integrity and professionalism from contractors and will take action if these expectations are not met. As the escort agency is investigating this matter we cannot comment further."
In 2008, Ghanaian Ana Sumani, who had cancer, died after being forcibly removed to her home country by the Home Office. The medical journal the Lancet said of the case: "The UK has committed atrocious barbarism."
Culled from UK Guardian
28 comments:
Pls Britain let her stay. We are really sorry .Shame to our Government past and present . we can't maintain. Our hospitals and all . This is so embarrassing o.
Pls Britain let her stay. We are really sorry .Shame to our Government past and present . we can't maintain. Our hospitals and all . This is so embarrassing
chai
I thought dey said we should create peace and unite d world,y dis rejection? Assuming dis lady becomes a big shot dia now and seeks to come nigeria to create impact from her knowledge u will c d white will refuse....ndi obi akpor.com
I hope they let her stay, just lost a friend due to kidney failure even after a successful transplant in the u.s, came back to naija and died 4 months later just cos she didn't wanna stay over there illegally.
So sad. I hope they allow her stay.
Arant bull-freaking-shit!!! I sympathize with her and understand what she's going through but what I can't stand here is the crap they're all saying about health care in Nigeria. There are people with transplants living well in Nigeria, infact I know one personally. Renal transplants have also been going on in Nigeria for a while. People get your facts straight!
I have never seen a robotic and cold minded organization as the British Home office especially, its subcontractor, Reliance. They act as if man was made for the law and not the reverse.
Unfortunately the lady's assertion of imminent death awaiting her should she be deported is so very true. I pray that God will intervene in this case.
Had our theiving politicians and ex military armed robbery rulers governed well, Nigeria will not be lacking in modern and up to date medical facilities. It's a pity really!
@ d guy dat said we have those facilities here, well d lady didnt dispute that, she said she wont be able to afford d facility should she be sent home. in the real sense we all know that even if we have those stuff here like some people claim, its going to be unbelievably expensive (only for the rich thieves) i sympathise with the lady and wish they allow her stay.
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Stupid uk immigration, tell me how dis woman is a danger to d society wen dey still v extremist roaming abt d streets of deir country preaching hate or is it dose lazy lots collecting benefits and sending home to deir countries to raise more kids to come bak nd flood uk nd still hate d uk. Wonder wen dey wud realise dat deir ways on clamping immigration is one wrongful approach. I hope d woman gets to stay back cos my dear nigerian government will never provide d free health care system she needs to keep her alive. All dey do is enrich deir coffers Mschew.
she is so right. Sending her to Nigeria is giving her a death sentence. Where available, means of managing her transplant will be ridiculously expensive. British home office should allow her live. Call it health refugee or something. Shame on Nigeria.
Mumu! Didn't you hear her say she won't be able to afford it?? Yes treatment is available in nigeria but expensive. Who would want to employ a sick over 40 years old woman in Naija???
If she s paying her tax over there, they should pls allow her sat and enjoy d fruit of her labour but if she doesn't pay tax, that means she thinks d uk is running a charity organisation. Hoping to use their tax payer money which is wrong.
They should just let her stay on compassionate grounds.
Nigerian government should take upon themselves the payment for treatment of their citizens with long term chronic illnesses like this lady's own in Nigeria and a few named countries with quality health cAre. This is not rocket science.This is what they do in Ireland which is in addition to the socialistic approach of general medical welfare obtainable in the rest of the EU. They can afford to purchase 50 thousand naira return tickets for her yearly for checkup if she needs them during 'the low season' . Why is Nigeria so backwARd? Meanwhile when ojukwu was sick , Anambra govt paid his hosp bills!! Shame on the govt of Nigeria. Does one have to be a politician before one gets quality treatment? The australian govt has an agreement with 8 countries regarding medical treatment for it's citizens. Why doesn't Nigeria have? Everyday we are the source of international mockery!! A country led By fools , governing a citizenry that remains lackadaisical in its criticism of its government would never progress
You are very ignorant! Do u know how much regular check up and immunosupressants costs? Btw Nigeria has only done a handful of renal transplants but have they told u where those recepients are now. Get your facts straight!
The ones they are meant to deport they won't depert oh! Kmt!
Pls let the poor widow stay there for God sake cos all nigerians are in bad atmosphere
ONOME says......................
Chai I pity her o.What sort of life is she living?A widow,no children,no family support.Poor woman,went for masters to better herself and impove her employment opportunities only to have such a chronic illness befall her.Na wa.
Well the NHS is only for UK citizens who are resident there normally.This means hat even if you are a UK citizen but ordinarily live in Nigeria you are not entitled to NHS.Alo if you live there on a visitor or student visa you are not entitled to NHS.Thos who are entitled to it have contributed to the national purse from their income hence the reluctance to give to anyone who hasn't put a dime in.
On humanitarian grounds I hope they let her stay.I think they are just tired of Nigerians who play with their system.I recall that Yoruba woman who had 5 or was it 6 kids in England using the NHS and was ing deportation threats also.
This is a disgrace on e Nigerian health care services.No two ways about it.
Having personally been involved in the management of renal transplants in a european medical system. I dare say that it will be difficult near impossible for her to get a similar standard of care in Nigeria. If it iss at all available the cost will no doubt be astronomical. the argument for keeping her in the uk is based on her chronic illness and financial status. While i would love for her to be allowed to stay and enjoy the NHS, the UK will begin a journey down a slippery slope were they to let that happen. It would make the NHS a free for all for chronically ill indgent patients the world over.
Dont blame this Immigration officials. Im actually on holiday now in london and have been watching a TV show here called UK Border Force, and in all the episodes ive watch now, up to 8 episodes, they have shown one Nigerian or more living illigaly in the UK. It is so embarrassing what this guys do just to live in the uk.so when u see the immigration officers behave like this its because of the reputations of illigal immigrants. But i agree they shud leave this woman alone.
So sad.
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ONOME u are wrong,students recieve free treatment...
The UK NHS system is not a charity. Yes, it is awful for the lady to be deported back to Nigeria, where the standard of healthcare may not be great. But the UK NHS system is funded by the taxpayers who have worked hard. We cannot allow all non citizens to take advantage of the healthcare system like this. This is why the UK economy is suffering
ONOME says................
@uch I think students take some form of medical insurance or something and it's incorporated in their school fees,so they have in a way contributed to the national health insurance scheme.The patient in question is not exactly a student anymore,I do not think her Ford scholarship is still running for 8 years(2004-2012)
Her case is particularly sad and I do hope they let her stay.But on the other hand as some commenters have rightly pointed it out,the NHS is funded with tax payers money and were England to allow all such cases those that rightly deserve the health care will not receive it and if the shoe were on the other foot I am sure you would be as outraged as the rightful owners of the health insurance.
I understand her plight but that's the system for you.I speak confidently cos I have a cousin whose husband is having to pay £142,000 for treatment she received on a visitor's visa.Her husband is a British citizen but his NHS did not cover her because she was in the UK at the time she fell ill with a life threatening illness on a visitor's visa.And he is paying in bits every month because even his lawyers told him to forget it.You can't cheat the British system that way.Unfortunate but the reality.
So sad for the lady.And like I said earlier it is a monumental disgrace on the state of health affairs in Nigeria.
United kingdom is finished already!!!everything in this country has changed.
If you would like to support Rose please sign the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-deportation-of-transplant-patient-roseline-ak.html
There is also a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/315098168561449/319886671415932/?notif_t=group_activity where you can find a model letter calling on the Home Secretary to allow her to remain here.
Thank you.
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