Girl students of Shinabad’s elementary school who became victims of fire five years ago are dissatisfied with their treatment and complain of the symptoms of numerous surgeries and anesthesia.
All of the girls complain about the process of treatment, undelivered promises, insults and disrespect by some officials, lack of facilities and equipment which has led to the drying of their finger joints, undelivered promise of buying hospital equipment for them, etc.
The 12 girls have undergone 360 surgeries and operations without producing any desirable progress.
One of the girls by the name of Ameneh in an interview says, “Let me sum it up; we have lost our hope.”
Another girl by the name of Sima says, “Our doctor says if we are sent abroad, we can recover sooner because there are better facilities. Eight months ago, Hashemi (the Minister of Health) promised and signed a letter so that they would bring better facilities for us to the hospital, but this never happened.”
Nadia’s father complains about the process of treatment and explains, “What we want is improvement of the girls’ treatment. They promise but do not deliver. Six years have passed since the incident. Look at these girls. They have changed so much. But there are so many symptoms for each of them. Because hospital expenses are high, surgeons do not personally operate on them and they are operated on by their interns.”
Hossein Ahmadi Niaz, the lawyer representing the Shinabad girls, also stresses, “The most important issue for these girls is that their treatement be expedited and improved. This must be done abroad.
On the other hand, they must receive full compensation (from the government), which has not been paid to them (because they are girls). The girls must receive their full rights. Their mental problems must be attended to. They face problem in receiving their National Card and birth certificate. These problems must be resolved. These girls do not need mercy; they demand their rights.” (The state-run ILNA news agency – March 4, 2018)
Shinabad is a village in Piranshahr, in West Azerbaijan Province. The elementary school in this village caught fire five years ago due to mal-functioning of a kerosene heater. 29 girls burned in the fire, two of whom died as a result of severe injuries.
