ELBASAN- For more than ten years, Bakie Marra from the village of Shirgjan in Elbasan has been suffering from serious health problems. Her condition has worsened after a thrombosis she suffered 5 months ago, leaving her paralyzed.
Today, the 68-year-old is bedridden and needs constant care.
“She has been sick for 10 years, but in the last year it has gotten worse. Before, she used to move on her own, but now she can’t get up at all. She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t do anything, she just stares and cries,” said her sister, Burbuqe Paeshti.
Standing by her bedside is her sister Burbuqe Paeshti, who says she has quit her job to take care of her every day, but is unable to afford the expenses.
“I left the house, the children and the husband and I’m focused on this. What should I do? It hurts me, she’s my sister. I leave her with the boy at night, while I stay here by myself during the day.”
The family’s economic situation is as difficult as their health. Bakie Marra receives a first-degree disability pension, worth 12,000 lek per month, which is not even enough for medicine.
“I get 120 thousand lek/month. With that money, I have about 100 thousand lek just for medicine. The doctors have helped us a lot, but the problem is that it’s not enough,” she says.
The difficulties have increased after the patient’s son, 35 years old, was forced to quit his job to take care of his mother. The family is facing a lack of income.
“She doesn’t even let her son go to work. I can’t handle it alone. He worked in the fish market, but when my sister got sick, she quit her job to take care of him,” she says.
Mother and son live in an old, dilapidated apartment that needs repairs, so they are seeking financial assistance from the municipality.
“The condition of the house is a disaster. The wall is damaged, the other room has completely collapsed. We don’t know what to do and where to go.”
Bakie Marra’s sister is seeking the intervention of institutions to increase her disability pension and recognize the guardianship payment.
“I would like her payment to be increased and for me to also benefit from the caregiver’s payment. I don’t want to be forced to ask for help from others,” the sick man’s sister appeals.
The family doctor, contacted by phone by Report TV, said that the patient’s condition is serious, so she is being offered home care and a wheelchair for mobility. As for the payment for the care, she explains that Bakie Marre’s sister has applied to the health center and is now expected to make a decision by the Medical Commission for Determining Ability to Work.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the Shirgjan local unit, Ibrahim Roçi, expressed his willingness to help the family in need, but first they must make an official request to benefit from economic assistance.