Commentary
The Patriotic Vanguard is following with deep interest the caption on the December 1, 2009 online edition of Awoko News titled: “Abandoned Child Languishes at Makeni Hospital” showing a photo of a naked child lying on the floor besides a hospital bed “in his urine and faeces” as reported by Saidu Bah, Awoko News reporter.
What is more troubling, continued Saidu Bah, was his depiction that “nurses and patients around the hospital were doing their normal business while the child was in agony on the floor and passers-by held their nose and mouth to escape the stench and flies coming from the defecation and urine of the child.”
Records obtained so far indicate that a request for medical examination and treatment for the abandoned child was made on October 26, 2009 by probation officer, Abdulai Kamara. The same request further state that a joint investigation carried out by both the Social Welfare Office and Sierra Leone Police was in progress.
Upon examination of the child by medical doctors in Makeni, reports indicate that the child who reportedly is about 18 months (1yr 6months) old had a “brain damage (cerebral palsy)” and his condition “is not curable” and suffers from “delay milestones with probable impaired speech and mental retardation.”
The recommendations as stated on the report are as follows:
He is a child with special needs (Special Nursing home or Care giver)
He does not need any hospitalization for now
We ask that the child be collected from the hospital soonest in order for him not to contract any other disease.
If the above measures were undertaken by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Medical team at the hospital, one is forced to ponder why would reporter, Saidu Bah state that “an abandoned child is currently languishing in misery at the Makeni Government Hospital without care and support from his parents, child welfare organizations and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs?”
Could more have been done by all parties involved to prevent the pitiful scene we saw on the photo? Without a doubt, I strongly believe so! Who in his/her right mind would see such a photo and think it is okay? Why were efforts by the Ministry of Welfare conspicuously missing on the article?
Moreover, did Mr. Bah ask the right questions such as who rushed the child immediately to the Makeni Hospital so as to elicit more information rather than relying on what the nurses said? What about the letter written on November 3rd, 2009 addressed to probation officer Kamara and signed by A. I. Zokorong (for medical superintendent) indicating the child’s diagnosis and the recommendations issued? Did Mr. Bah make efforts to talk to probation officer Kamara and any of the medical doctors?
What if anything did the Ministry of Welfare do to follow up between November 3rd and December 1, 2009 when the report was published? That such questions were never asked is a cause for alarm. It is one thing to have a sensational headline but it is another when a reporter fails to exercise responsible journalism with firm ethical standards by failing to report the facts whether confirmed or unconfirmed, seek more information as well as clarification from parties involved so as to present a fair, balance and objective story.
Mr. Bah has done well to educate readers about the inherent problems residents of Makeni face in terms of the available health care facilities, which many of us appreciate. However, it is important that credit be given to those who deserve it. In this case, both the Welfare Office and the Medical team began a good job of trying to help the child. What is disheartening is the fact that somewhere along the road, there was a crack that should not have existed.
While it is unclear what (if any) help could have been made available for such a diagnosis remains to be seen. Obviously, one needs to be careful as to not compare the medical facilities that are available out here in the USA or any other advanced nation to those in Makeni or Sierra Leone. Even when the facilities exist, we know all too well that the system does fail from time to time and when it does, the consequences can be tragic. If the system can fail here what more in a place where the facilities don’t even exist? Is the system to blame any way?
There are those who say baby dumping is a common occurrence in Africa. No one needs a deformed child for the sake of just having one, they might argue. In Africa, any deformed birth is abandoned in some bush, they say, and the public cannot help such kids if government can’t do that. “The child needs foster care. No one will come forward to volunteer if the government decides not to do the fund” Bangura said. Others claim that this is a common occurrence in The Gambia where babies are discovered almost every week, and in Sierra Leone where some are abandoned due to birth defects or for lack of a father.
Whether they are making a case that such situations have happened in the past, are happening in some other places or will happen again, in my view, I don’t think it is wrong to discuss about it and to see what can be done to remedy such a horrible situation. Yes, the child in question may be one of many. In fact, I strongly believe there may be worst cases than this one that has generated this debate. But, I refuse to believe that, that is the only solution available to such problems we face as a society especially in places like Sierra Leone where a vast majority of the populace live in abject poverty.
Even as the situation looks hopeless, it is still fair to commend the Mayor of Makeni, Moses Sesay, who arrived in Makeni only on Tuesday from a trip abroad and bought a copy of the Awoko Newspaper that carried the story and decided to investigate the very next day, Wednesday, December 2, 2009.
When I contacted him on the telephone as he was just entering his residence, I was amazed that he was au fait with the situation I was calling to talk about. While he cautioned that we should not read too much into the article because some times reporters write stories without facts, he promised to begin his official duties with this child incident.
After a meeting with Dr. Bundu and his team at the hospital the next day and another meeting with staff at the Social Welfare office, he indeed confirmed that the child was abandoned and brought to the hospital through the Social Welfare agency. He also confirmed the validity of the medical report and explained about his efforts to secure clothing for the child and the possibility of securing a foster home or any NGO.
In the mean time, it is important to note that staff at both offices are now co-ordinating their resources to help this kid. That he looked into this and got both parties to explain and that a way forward is being sought deserves commendation for his efforts. Surely, this speaks volume of this young mayor who demonstrates by his actions that he cares so passionately about the residents of Makeni that elected him to office.
Of course, there are those who opine that as a mayor, his concerns should be the needs of his municipality. This includes the provision of electricity, paved streets, providing a safe environment for Makeni residents among many others. Even though some may say the issue under consideration should be the concern of the Ministry of Social Welfare, I see no wrong being committed should he establish a very good working relationship with the aforementioned ministry to help the children, youths who are part of his municipality. These are the kids who will one day fill the office that he now occupies. Yes! I hear those voices that say people need to understand the duties of a Local government Officer like Mayor and not confuse them with those of the central government.
If any questions are to be asked, I think the focus should be on the breakdown that occurred after the child’s diagnosis and the time the Ministry of Social Welfare received the report. What could have been done? Why was the child left to perish in the conditions described by Mr. Bah? Could it be a failure of the system?
On the line from Makeni this evening, I caught up with Dr. Ibrahim Bundu who disclosed to me that when probation officer Kamara arrived at the waiting room, he was seeing other patients and could not see him immediately. When he had finished attending to his patients and came out to meet with Mr. Kamara, he was shocked to learn that Kamara had already left while the child was abandoned at the waiting room. Even after the medical report was sent and until Mayor Sesay reported to the hospital to check on the validity of the Awoko story after his trip abroad, neither Mr. Kamara nor any staff from the Ministry of Social Welfare had showed up at the hospital to check on the status of the child.
Efforts are presently now underway to reach probation officer, Abdulai Kamara, of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs, for his side of the story. Perhaps, he will be able to shed light on reasons he abandoned the child at the waiting room and why there has been no further contact till the mayor stepped in. Stay tuned!
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