Kuwait: Ghanaian maid paralyzes after falling off stairs

A mother of five who went to Kuwait to work to make her family better came back home with paralysis.

Esther Yeboah fell from the stairs in a three-story home she was working in as a cleaner.

“I work the whole day through the night because the house is big,” the 34-year-old woman said.

According to the single parent, she became infirm breaking her back working without rest.

“After cleaning the whole house, I would have to wash the clothing of the family, cook and do other demeaning jobs,” she said.

Esther said she was descending the stairs from the third floor when she tripped and fell to the ground floor.

She said she felt sharp pains in her back and struggled to get on his feet until after a little while.

The young woman said despite complaints of her ailing health her taskmistress ignored her and still subjected her to demanding tasks.

“My madam only gave me some pills and left me to my fate. I worked as usual from morning to sometimes 12 am. One day I nearly went unconscious while working,” she recounted.

Esther told crimecheckghana.org that after some weeks, her condition worsened. Her hand suffered a fracture and her spine got affected rendering her partially immobile.

The young lady said her traveling documents were seized by her boss lady making it difficult to escape the harsh treatment and also access basic services like health care.

She indicated that she managed to reach out to the Ghanaian Embassy in Kuwait who assisted her with new documents to return to Ghana.

“When I got to the Kotoka International Airport on my arrival into the country, I felt unconscious and collapsed. I was given basic treatment at the airport before an ambulance came to pick me up,” she said.

Esther Yeboah spent her savings on medical care and has been unable to complete her building project after 2 years in the Middle East country.

According to her, she is to undergo surgery to restore her fitness but that seems impossible due to financial challenges.

She pleaded with the public to come to her aid.

The Health Check Series

Crime Check Foundation (CCF) foots the hospital bills of the poor and underprivileged who cannot access basic healthcare.

By Rudolph Nandi