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President of the Ghana Burn Survivors Association speaking on behalf of victims of the 2015 June 3 disaster has charged government to do a little more than just financially settling them.

Dennis Opoku Gyamfi said victims including the June 3 survivors must be helped to integrate well into society as many tend to stigmatise them due to their disfigurement. 

Speaking Monday on MultiTV, he bemoaned how survivors of the June 3 disaster numbering over 100, received ¢10,000 each from the government as compensation.

He wants government to set up rehabilitation units with qualified counselors that will help victims to come to terms with their situation and also help them assimilate back into society and get on with their lives. 

The survival rate for burn injuries in Ghana has increased than before due to advancement and treatment, but while celebrating this feat, survival is not enough, the association argues. 

Mr Gyamfi echoed that the financial settlement should not be withdrawn as these victims lose their livelihood and that will help them get back to their feet.

He said the healing from physical burn injuries has its uniques challenges, yet healing from the emotional trauma can be overwhelming.

"True recovery requires care and compassion for the body, mind and spirit," he added.

He said government needs to go the extra mile is needed to help these people feel psychologically relaxed, instead of feeling a sense of stigma. 

He made these comments in the wake of the October 7 gas explosion that has left seven people dead and more than 100 people sustaining various degrees of injuries.  

The Atomic Junction disaster is the eighth successive gas explosion Ghana has recorded in three years. 

President of the Ghana Burn Survivors Association also lauded the government’s efforts to avert such occurrences again by closing down unauthorised gas and petrol filling stations and stalling the issuance of permits to yet-to-setup ones. 

Mr Gyamfi said its main focus is peer support through Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery, Education, and Advocacy.