Poor man soldiers on despite broken arm

For three years, bus driver Mohana has been living with his injury and providing for his family because surgery would cost too much.

PETALING JAYA: A bus driver has been forced to work with a broken arm for three years because he cannot afford the RM 1,900 needed for treatment.

According to a New Straits Times Online report, Mohana Ramamorthy, 29, broke his left arm in a motorcycle accident in 2013.

He told his interviewer that he went to a hospital after the accident but that doctors failed to straighten his arm even after inserting a metal rod in it.

He said he was told by doctors that another surgery, costing RM1,900, was required to insert a metal plate. He said he could not afford two surgeries one after the other.

He said his employer gave him RM300, but since that was insufficient, he decided to go back to work to put food on the table for his wife and two-month-old baby.

On most days, Mohana works 16 hours so that he can earn overtime pay.

Recently, things got worse after he absent-mindedly used the injured arm to shut the bonnet of his bus.

“My left arm started to swell, and the pain became unbearable,” he said. “I went to a nearby clinic to get it checked. That was when a kind young man approached me and asked about my condition.”

The young man, a Facebook user named Ami Tanjung, told of Mohana’s plight in one of his postings, resulting in offers of help from netizens.

MIC Treasurer-General S Vell Paari, when told of Mohana’s condition, said he would be more than happy to cover the cost of treating him.

Those wishing to help can contact Mohana at 018-3652323.