Today makes it eight years, three months and twenty-nine days since you were born and eight years, two months and thirteen days since you passed on. Memories of you fill my heart, my adorable little niece with the curly black hair, rosy cheeks and long fingers. How you loved to eat, and even though every single moment was a battle for you, you still managed the most beautiful smile that never seized to take my breath away. Surely if love alone could heal, if love alone could make perfect your organs, if love alone could preserve you if love alone could make you full term and not premature if love alone could do a whole lot and so much more, you’d be here with your mummy, she’d be taking you to school and doing all the things doting mothers do for their children, you’d be playing around with your cousins and the tears flowing from my eyes as I write this would never have to be.

So one can imagine when I read a message some weeks back about a baby born prematurely needing an incubator. I immediately flew into action waking up my friends who were doctors who themselves tried to make the right connections until early the next morning we found a consultant paediatrician who not only got the much-needed space but continued to hold it and follow up until I was informed the incubator wasn’t needed any longer – for now. All the emotions of my niece came flooding in and I had to caution myself not to keep following up lest anyone think I had an agenda. Phew!

The sleepless nights, the never-ending anxiety, the uncertainty of tomorrow, the dreams that may or may not ever be, the feeling of helplessness, the agony of watching an innocent little baby struggling and battling for life should never be the lot of any parent.

It is a slightly better picture if the baby is born into a family of means, then the parents can at least afford the best medical care for the child giving the child every opportunity to live. But what happens on the flip side of things when the child is born into a poor family who can barely afford the basic necessities to care for a baby talk less of the huge medical expenses involved in caring for a premature baby – this is a bleak situation, to say the least.

November 17 every year is marked as the World Prematurity Day, and this year’s theme is: Together for babies born too soon – Caring for the future. So my question to you in government is, what are you doing to ensure a significant reduction in the mortality rate of premature babies? How well equipped are the nation’s hospitals to take care of these babies when they do arrive? The search for incubators some weeks back shows that our hospitals currently do not have enough and the private hospitals who have, cost two legs and an arm. I remember another doctor telling me about a popular children’s government hospital and perhaps tertiary institution for training paediatricians maintained less than standard hygiene practices to guarantee the health and quick recovery of the babies.

How about the doctors? How well equipped are they to manage premature babies? How skilled are they in the real sense of it? I remember all my niece needed to save her life was an injection that should have been administered a few minutes after she was born, but the doctors didn’t prescribe this drug until she had spent days… days… in the incubator when it was already too late. How many needless deaths have occurred simply due to the negligence of the doctors? How committed are these doctors to ensuring that every baby they deliver, live to the best of their ability or is it just simply business as usual? This attitude must change! It is high time doctors realise every death due to their negligence places blood on their hands as these beautiful little souls make their way back to Heaven.

Culture plays another role in caring for premature babies. You see, some cultures value the male child and give little or no regard to the female child. So, when a woman gives birth to a son prematurely, she is celebrated – at least for the birth of the child and the family rallies around to do their very best to ensure the survival of the child. The female child on the other hand is not so lucky. Most times within such cultures she and her mother are left at the mercy of good Samaritans with the father paying little or no attention to them.

Another key issue is that of warring, war-torn, or countries experiencing famine, natural disasters or economic hardship. In this situation, the survival of the child is increased by ensuring continuous and constant access of the child to the mother. This first and foremost guarantees nutrition for the child and provides the needed warmth in the absence of an incubator.

You and I also have a major role to play in the area of advocacy. We need to speak out for the little ones who can’t speak out for themselves. We need to see to it that a mother who has gone through the process of carrying a pregnancy for months has the joy of going home with her healthy bundle of joy not having her heart and that of her husband ripped apart by the death of their dear little one.

Now is the time to end meaningless deaths of premature babies. Now is the time to step up our game. This is not the time to have members of the government fly their children abroad to have their babies delivered and announce this in the newspapers without shame with congratulatory messages flying here and there. Come to think of it, Prince George and Princess Charlotte though children of the future King of England were actually born in London! Hope you all get my point!

As I sigh deeply, ‘You Are My Inspiration’ by Chicago brings a soft smile to my face because eight years ago, I dedicated this song to you and your memory. I remember how your birth brought a unique meaning to my life; and though I want you here with me, with us, I choose to believe you are in a better place inspiring all of us from where you are. You are always in my mind, in my heart and in my soul! And yes, when Christ returns we will have the joy of seeing your beautiful smiling face devoid of all pain and struggles.