A 31-year-old burns victim from Cameroon in Central Africa faced all odds owing to the pandemic and travelled 6,600 kms to reach Mumbai for proper treatment and quality healthcare that have given him a new lease of life. The authorities of Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital started the process along with the patient’s family around April and coordinated with international embassies in China, Cameroon and Nigeria to ensure that he reaches the city on time. However, after two successful surgeries, he is now set to return home on June 30.

An oven blast at a Cameroon-based Coco factory led to deep burn injuries on 50 per cent of Peter Esomba’s face and 80 per cent of his scalp. However, due to incessant local civil wars and scarce medical services, Esomba couldn’t access quality healthcare for over five months. Eventually, after discussing the matter with family and friends, Esomba decided to come to Mumbai for treatment.