Save the "Saviour"
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| Dr. David Abdulai, aka the "Mad Doctor" attending to one of his patients |
One
of those awkward moments when the mind gets cluttered with too many questions,
when the heart feels burdened, troubled and gripped in a deep and stunning silence,
leaving you with questions that ideally should be directed to God but then
again you are left wondering if asking is a sign of the lack of faith.
Asking
these questions and perhaps getting the desired responses are sure to bring me some
form of relief from the mental turmoil but doing so in my present state of confusion
comes with the risk of questioning the all-knowing God. And who am I to do so?
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| When I was with Zain (Airtel) |
When
I was with Zain/Airtel Ghana, I found myself working actively on the
Zain/Airtel Touching Lives TV reality show. Among others, I was to write
compelling weekly updates on the pair of stories that were screened weekly,
making sure they teased viewers enough to stay glued to their TV sets in
readiness for the episode that was billed to roll. That
was how I got to know and meet Dr. David Abdulai, the “Mad Doctor”, the man I
prefer to call the “Human Saviour”, who stunned the whole of Ghana with his
splendid act of kindness and fellow-feeling.
The tale of a survivor:
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| Dr. Abdulai, the angel of a man |
He
was hit by the sad realities of living in the dusty streets of the savanna and
the onslaught of poverty related diseases/conditions that eventually wiped off
all 10 of his siblings from the surface of the earth, yes, all ten but him. It
must have taken a mix and, if you like, a good dose of his “stubborn” survival
instincts and providence to endure these and the many nights without food.
From
that dream-killer environment up north, it would sound mysterious that what
looked like a dormant seed and a sleeping grain rose to life- first the green,
then the trunk and later the beautiful flower on whose nectar the many “fatherless
birds” feed.
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| Dr. Abdulai, in white shirt standing in the middle |
Abdulai
grew to become a medical doctor who was soon to turn literally into the air
many breathed and the guy rope onto which many in sinking sand have clung.
The angel of a man called Dr. Abdulai
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| A leper under the care of Dr. Abdulai |
Inspired
by his background and humbling personal experiences, Abdulai, (now a medical
doctor of no mean status), found his targets in the destitute – lepers, mentally
challenged, and indeed the least of persons “nobody” really wanted or cared
about.
He
felt those were the people most deserving of his attention as a medic. He
followed this conviction, resigned his promising job in the public sector, cut off
all sources of funding and threw himself back into the savanna to serve the
lowly-placed in our society.
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| The "Human Saviour" attending to one of his VIPs |
If
it hasn’t crossed your mind how the mentally challenged feed/survive and what
happens to them when they fall sick, these have been Dr. Abdulai’s
pre-occupation since the early 90s.
Establishment
of the Shekina Clinics: Shortly after resigning his job, he
set up what became known as Shekina Clinic(s)- two separate health facilities-
from where he treated people (mainly the poor) of all sort of conditions FOR FREE, including expensive surgeries
with each of the clinics recording an average of 60 patients daily.
In
these same facilities, he housed the people who have nowhere to turn to, many
of whom would long have been dead or wandering on the streets in hunger. These,
including the aged, visually impaired, mentally retarded, physically
challenged, and in fact “social outcasts” of varied shades are the same people he
describes and treats as his VIPs.
Food
programme: As if the offer of free medical care to the
people was not enough display of empathy, he initiated a feeding programme for
all under his care. For 24 good years (since 1992), he cooked, went in search
of the “mentally deranged’ on the streets of Tamale and served them a
meal a day without failure. Even today, his team of volunteers should
be in their van roaming the street in search of the hungry to feed.
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| A leader of Dr. Abdulai's team serving a mentally deranged person on the street of Tamale |
Xmas
Party: While
he was growing up, a bowl of “Xmas rice” coming with a morsel of meat (to grease
his harmattan cracked
lips) was a huge luxury for little Abdulai. That must have influenced his
decision to institute an annual Xmas feast for persons who lacked the capacity
to “pamper” themselves in line with the season’s demand.
An
average of 3,000 people from deprived background are feted yearly in his Xmas
party programme that has been running for over 25 years.
Faith
under siege:
This
man, the same Doctor with that “biiiiig” heart is presently battling what has
alledgedly been diagnosed as thyroid cancer.I had a rude shock bumping into news
stories and social media posts on his plight.
“Why ! How !!” were
the words that gushed out of my mind and mouth. Is it the “Good Samaritan? The ‘savior’ in human form? My role
model? The man around whom thousands of lives revolve? I queried myself in a
near state of trance. Is God to blame? Are the gods to blame?
That
the world is unfair can’t be more evident, I concluded. But could it be that God is testing HIS and
OUR fate? Fate under siege, indeed.
Our
plea:
Since
God can’t be questioned, we can only raise our voice in unison and ask for his intervention.
His kind of miracle is what we beseech at this point as a nation. Ghana badly
needs the “Mad Doctor” back on his feet, God.
