Seven years have passed since Saleh Faiad, 58, had to undergo amputation of both legs due to gangrene.

Saleh was imprisoned in 2008 for financial reasons. He is diabetic, and 20 days into his prison time his feet developed gangrene.

He received treatment in Al-Miqat Hospital and was returned to prison on one occasion. Days later, he went into a coma and was transferred to King Fahd Hospital where both of his legs were amputated. He woke up from coma and continued to stay in the hospital for two months, and spent six more months in Al-Miqat Hospital, two months in rehabilitation and six more months in Riyadh rehabilitation hospital. Synthetic legs were made for him but he didn’t benefit from them because they were not suitable for his body weight. He was married, but his wife divorced him allegedly because he only received SR800 in funds from social security.

Saleh added that he doesn’t have a home so he lives in his car, which he bought for SR13,000 and customized it to suit his needs. The car is his home, where he eats and sleeps and sometimes works. Recently, the car broke down and is now parked in the workshop area waiting to be fixed. However, he doesn’t have the SR7,000 needed to fix it.

He has been using the car as a taxi because the social security money isn’t enough to cover his needs. Saleh wondered whether authorities could help him claim the basic rights of the disabled, such as a car and a house. He hopes to get an automatic truck which he can alter according to his needs and dreams of having his own house instead of sleeping in a car.

Saleh said he was forced to approach the media because he has been waiting for three years for a car he applied for at the Social Affairs Ministry.

Abdulaziz Al-Shanqeeti, official spokesman for Social Affairs in Madinah, said applications for cars for the disabled are processed according to a mechanism set by the ministry. Those who applied earlier are accorded priority and and no one can jump the queue.