8th April,11:22 pm….
I wish I could quickly forget the events of the past 24 hours. I have been on the newborn ward for the past 4 months and seen a lot but probably nothing much like this!
Yes. It is true that babies die and a zero percent mortality rate is probably a near-impossibility. But when the cause of death is from a very manageable cause such as neonatal jaundice, detected so late that a 4 day old baby presents with signs of brain involvement, it is simply heart-breaking.
My heart goes out to the poor mother who carried this baby for nine(9) months, amidst the pregnancy-related loss of appetite and vomiting, sustaining a scar after caesarean section, only to lose the baby after 4 days! And sadly, this baby was the couples’ first.
Friends, the time to act is now. Time to be the change we want to see. There are many reading this story right now who will simply sympathize and start asking what the Government, Health Ministry and other international NGOs are doing about this menace. Truth is they are indeed doing their part. But nothing can be more powerful than the everyday man or woman becoming the champion of newborn health!
With a little more resource and targeted education for parents and caregivers, the effects of newborn jaundice will be greatly reduced. Imagine what will happen if new mothers could have interactive educational sessions using the print and electronic media including brief TV documentaries. Yes, TV shows will be great but then who is willing to help pay for the airtime when almost everyone who has something to offer is rather helping flood our airtime with countless telenovelas and reality shows amongst others.
I can almost hear a reader ask why the NNSS will not send a proposal for sponsorship. Truth is many of these institutions do not even acknowledge receipt when you write to them and when you make a follow up it can take forever. It is probably time to take a radical step.
Our call is simple. Instead of waiting for a proposal which will probably end up in a paper shredder, we call on ordinary Ghanaians to take up the challenge in this noble venture. As an employee of an institution, you could mobilize resources from a few other colleagues. As a student, you could talk to your course mates. The list of possibilities is endless.
And it doesn’t take much to get started. You do not need to be a health professional to join this noble cause. Can you imagine what difference we can make if just ten individuals decide to commit just about GHC 20(less than $10) every month to support our newborn education programs? Even if individuals contribute for just 3 months and stop, the impact will be great. And GHC 20 a month is probably the cost of an average lunch for many Ghanaians on a typical day, a cycle that is repeated at least twenty times each month by most persons. It really wouldn’t hurt much if we decide to share one or two of these meals with a baby!
It is true that we are in tough economic times. It is also true that some parents especially some fathers of newborns are simply irresponsible. But we will all agree that it is no baby’s fault to be born into a world with problems. Once they are born it is our responsibility to support them.
At the NNSS we envisage a world where each baby will arrive to a hero’s welcome, to a standing ovation……..irrespective of whether those applauding his or her arrival have so much and live in mansions or have barely their tents to abide in.
My dear friends, it is time to stand up and be counted. We will write no more proposals. Many potential funders don’t even read them. Time to work from the grassroots. Time to engage the everyday Ghanaian. Time to go beyond just liking or sharing this post on Facebook (which many of my readers are about to do) and actually begin to offer some help. Call us now to see how you can help +233(0)57 434 1883(6am to 12 midnight GMT daily)
Thank you.