Stop the deportation

by Times reader Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:18

Dr Karina McMahon, Ayodola's doctor in Crumlin Hospital, quoted in Saturday's Irish Times:

"If you've got no spleen and go to a malaria zone, you have a very high risk of dying of malaria. We know that in Africa, 50 per cent of children with sickle cell anaemia do not live to see their fifth birthday. She should be here, on a decent sickle cell programme."

by Gerri Wed Feb 03, 2010 16:36

It is utterly disgraceful that it is even being considered to deport this child. No child with an illness should be deported and if that means that the parents get to stay, so be it.

A question we should be asking ourselves is, WHY is there such a high mortality rate in Nigeria for children in general. Not just from sickle cell anaemia, but from malaria, typhoid and preventable diseases. This country generates huge amounts of money in oil revenue, yet little of it reaches the people. Their education, health and justice systems are in dissaray and the vast majority of people have difficulty accessing basic services. The elite travel abroad for education, childbirth and health care. Why do you think Yar'adua has been in Saudi for the last few months getting treatment?

What we in the West should be doing for a start is, using less of this substance that ruins environments and lives. The message is clear - use less oil. Before Nigeria had oil, it had industry and agriculture. Now that has been largely abandoned and there has been an increase in asylum seeking individuals who although may not be deserving of refugee status, are in many cases fleeing poverty and lack of opportunity.

We should all be asking the question why it is that, a country with vast resources such as Nigeria, is unable to keep its children alive.