My husband died from kidney failure after self-medicating on Malaria drug

Entering the apartment of Judith Duba, a civil servant residing at Kpor, in the Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, one could sense a thick atmosphere of grief.
Duba sits alone at a corner of her room, cold and lost in thoughts. She wears a sad expression, as she gazes through the window looking at no one in particular. Every morning, she wakes up to the sad reality that her husband of two years, Justice Duba, is no more.
“My husband lost weight drastically while he was taking medications for malaria; and instead of getting better, he got worse,” she says, a tear drop rolling down her cheek.
Duba’s husband, who hails from Nwebiama in the same local government area, having felt some ache, headache, pain and high body temperature, went to a local drug store, bought some drugs and placed himself on what he believed was malaria treatment.
“His health condition did not get better and so we eventually took him to the Bori General Hospital at the local government headquarters, where he was diagnosed with acute malaria, with traces of typhoid, and given adequate treatment,” she says.
Surprisingly, though he responded to initial hospital treatment, his health began to deteriorate.
Further medical test was carried out and it was discovered that he had developed a kidney problem, thus needing daily dialysis to stay alive.
“He was unable to breathe due to his failing health and was placed on oxygen, but we had no money to carry out the dialysis,” she says.
Justice died on April 18, 2014, leaving behind a grieving widow and a 60-year-old father, Vika Duba, who says, “It is a taboo that I live to bury my son instead of my son to bury me at my old age.”