I was thinking about the two girls who lost their lives due to a case of gross negligence, at Queens College Lagos. It is so sad that we sometimes ignore the squalor right in front of us and yet have the audacity to complain about the gutters and shanty-like township areas that have sprung up in and around our large cities. Health and safety is of the essence, so also must cleanliness be a watch word in our schools, homes, offices and in our lives. Goodness, its so wrong what we do now-a-days, I remember the state of some toilets I saw, really disgusting and so irresponsible. We need to change, if we had those two girls would not have died, neither would Queens College have had to be closed down!

Then I read this piece I am going to share with you shortly just this morning when I woke up. It is sad that we do not know how to keep our children safe. Our job as parents, educators and protectors of the next generation is to keep them safe, learning, joyful and ready for the job of moving the human race forward. Our responsibility is certainly not hidden in ensuring their demise before ours! Please, may we read and learn from this unfortunate incident. It is our duty to do all we can to protect the next generation from harm. Let us try our best to do so.

This is copied from a post written by Dr. Gbemisola Boyede.

I received a call on Thursday from an ATP member…..that’s not unusual……”We are being referred to LUTH from General Hospital….a little boy”…..As usual my response “Yes bring the child…straight to our CHER…..I am not in CHER but let me know when you get there” I usually will try and pass through to know what is going on!

Thursday was extremely busy….our final year medical students were doing their clinical exams…..We did not finish until 6pm! Tired and worn out….then had to briefly attend the wake-keeping ceremony of one of my friends and colleague Paediatrician’s mother…..I completely forgot about the child till today.

When I remembered, I called to know how far…..I knew she did not end up in LUTH because she would have called me. Lo and behold, her response “the child died”!!!

What happened?? Why did you not come to LUTH?
After calling me, the referral was changed to another big private hospital….it is a good one with ICU and all (not coming to LUTH is not the point)….but the child still died after a few hours in the ICU!

Why?? What happened???

A 2 year old vibrant boy (saw his picture) drank HYPO bleach kept in a TABLE WATER BOTTLE unknowingly!!! Then the panicky but IGNORANT mothers (experienced mothers ….hmmmm) GAVE PLENTY OF PALM OIL!!!

Of course if you have been on ATP for just one year, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT ….THAT IS THE WRONGEST(forgive the grammar) THING TO DO!!!

The child aspirated the oil…….the fumes of the palm oil entered the lungs and child could not breathe well. He was in General Hospital for a couple of days on oxygen but did not get better and transferred to the Private hospital with specialists and ICU and all but still died.

THE SHOCKER!!! The child did not die from drinking the HYPO BUT FROM THE SOLUTION GIVEN…….THE PALM OIL…..put it another way, the child died from IGNORANCE of sincere people!!

PLEASE LET US STOP THIS PALM OIL BEING THE “CURE ALL” – “APORO” in Yoruba language..where for any ingestion of poison the first thing you reach for is Palm oil to INDUCE VOMITING!!!

IT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS MYTH EVER WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN!!! SIMPLY STOP IT!!!

GIVING ORDINARY WATER OR MILK TO THIS CHILD TO NEUTRALIZE THE ACID of the bleach without INDUCING FORCEFUL VOMITING would have been great!!!

I am writing this because it grieves me so much anytime a child die UNNECESSARILY…..FROM PREVENTABLE CAUSES……That is why ATP exists…….IGNORANCE KILLS!!!

Lessons!

1. DON’T EVER KEEP ANYTHING BUT WATER IN BOTTLES OF TABLE WATER!!!

How do you expect the child to know it is Bleach??? Those of you who keep kerosene, petrol, ota piapia etc in table water or soft drink bottles….PLEASE STOP!!!!

2. KEEP DANGEROUS ITEMS LIKE BLEACH, KEROSENE, PETROL etc OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN!!!

It is bad enough to keep bleach in container of water but making it easily accessible to a toddler is a criminal offence as far as I am concerned. PLEASE LET US BE CHILD SAFETY CONSCIOUS!!!

3. STOP ARCHAIC AND DANGEROUS TREATMENTS OR FIRST AIDS!!!

Any time a child ingests poison especially caustic materials – soda or hydrocarbon like kerosene or petrol…PLEASE DO NOT GIVE PALM OIL!!! DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING!!!

You think you are helping? you are actually sending the child faster to yonder!!!…..The bleach could have damaged the intestines or a few organs….most can be repaired but palm oil aspiration damages the lungs….very crucial organ for breathing and being alive!!!

A WORD THEY SAID IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE!!! DON’T BE IGNORANT…..READ ALL POSTS AND LEARN ON ATP.

Together we can ensure our children live and not die from preventable causes!!!

May the soul of this little one rest in peace! May God comfort the parents (their first and currently only child) and the family. May He comfort those of us who are also traumatized by this event and forgive the culprits!!!

So in conclusion, we must continue to update ourselves and prevent carefree, careless attitudes to important life-saving matters result in the deaths of our children. May we not lose another child like this again. Please play your part by taking note and sharing this to help us spread the word.