Rehema Chalamila aka Ray C was reduced to tears after a Dar es Salaam
hospital turned her away when she arrived at the institution to get her
supplies saying that she had arrived late past the time stipulated by
the management. PHOTO | COURTESY
Ray C, a popular Tanzanian bongo flava musician says fighting drug addiction is painful process
The
songbird whose real name is Rehema Chalamila, has been receiving
treatment for drug addiction, recently broke down in tears after a
hospital in Dar es Salaam refused to give her drugs for her treatment.
The
‘Mama Nitile’ and ‘Moto Moto’ hitmaker has been visiting the hospital
every week to get her weekly dose for the methadone which helps the body
wean off its dependence on heroin and alleviate the withdrawal
symptoms.
In a video posted on
Instagram, the sultry-eyed diva appeared to break down in tears after
the hospital turned her away when she arrived at the institution to get
her supplies saying that she had arrived late past the time stipulated
by the management.
This made Ray C
break down in a series of video she recorded and posted on her Instagram
account, accusing the management of the hospital of denying her the
drug intentionally because of an earlier video she had posted
criticizing the hospital’s poor treatment of recovering addicts.
LONG WALK TO RECOVERY
“Nashindwa
kuvumilia. Mpaka sasa nipo hapa kitengo cha madawa na sijapewa dawa,
kwa sababu niliposti ile post nyingine wamenifanyia makusudi. Mifupa
inauma na nahisi kibariudi. Sasa mimi nikikosa madawa wanataka nirudi
kwenye kuvuta unga?” She cried.
(“I
can’t bear it. I am still here at the pharmacy and I have not been given
my prescription because of the comments I posted the other day. They
are deliberately punishing me and now my bones are aching, I am feeling
cold. I don’t know if they want me to go back to the drugs.”)
Ray
C had accused the institution of giving time ultimatums to users just
like schools do to students, regardless of the fact that some of them
travelled long distances making it difficult to arrive there within the
stipulated time.
The video clips went
viral and causing the institution to reconsider and give her the
medication by the end of that day, something that she was happy to
report about again via her Instagram account.
“Nashukuru
kwamba kilio changu hatimaye kilisikika na wakanipa dawa kufikia jioni
ya leo. Naiheshimu hii dawa kuliko kitu chochote kingine kwa sasa katika
maisha yangu kwa kuwa imenitoa mbali,” She captioned a pictured of her
taking Methadone.
(“I am grateful
that my cry has been heard and now I have my medication this evening. I
respect this drug more than anything else in my life for it has brought
me from far.”)
Ray C has been under
Methadone mediation for two years after the intervention of
Tanzania’s president Jakaya Kikwete who came to her rescue in 2012 when
she had hit rock bottom from abusing drugs. The president paid for her
rehabilitation at an undisclosed drug recovery centre, upon her release
she was put under the methadone medication which she collects from the
hospital weekly.
Ray C who appears to be on the path to recovery is adding weight and now runs an anti-drugs awareness campaign.
She
confesses to have been introduced to illegal drugs by her then
boyfriend, rapper Lord Eyes. She revealed that her drug habit had
escalated to the point where she sold her house and other properties to
raise money for buying the drugs.
Ray C has also her music come back already releasing a single ‘Mshum Mshum’ which has been received well by her fans.
No comments :
Post a Comment