Recognizing Dr A’isha’s ultimate sacrifice

It is so sad that Dr A’isha, who is highly-rated by her colleagues, so popular with patients and well appreciated by a significant percentage of the city’s (Jalingo) dwellers based on her 100% dedication to duty, excellent doctor-patient relationship and an impressive record of saving lives through the several surgical operations she had successfully carried […]

It is so sad that Dr A’isha, who is highly-rated by her colleagues, so popular with patients and well appreciated by a significant percentage of the city’s (Jalingo) dwellers based on her 100% dedication to duty, excellent doctor-patient relationship and an impressive record of saving lives through the several surgical operations she had successfully carried out, could not save her own life in spite of all the spirited attempts to help her do so by her professional colleagues. Even her bravery in enduring an over 20-hour road journey to the Lassa Fever Research Institute in Irua, Edo State where 2 rounds of dialysis operations were carried out could not save our own Dr A’isha as both operations failed.

Although Islam discourages too much apportioning of blame over the death of a Muslim as we are only enjoin to utter “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un” (from God we are and to Him shall we return), but the overwhelming disturbing circumstances leading Dr A’isha’s death further exposed the lopsided manner in the allocation of crucial work and life-support facilities/equipments to public institutions and stressed the need for a profound review of the elitist nature of the existing procedure for national recognition through the annual national honours award exercise.

While our president and most of the governors deservedly have standby jets or helicopters (as the case may be) based on the delicate nature of their functions and during emergencies, our patriotic medical practitioners (doctors and nurses) who are quietly working day and night to ensure a healthy nation/population in the face of all hazards posed by deadly infectious diseases are increasingly made to depend on road transportation in case of emergencies; leading to belated treatment of patients due to late arrival at the recommended medical institution. The countless hours the patient spends on the long and rigorous road journey and the associated fatigue are enough to further weaken his/her immune system. Perhaps, Dr. Aisha might have survived if she was flown to the institute on a plane and the dialysis operations carried out a day or two earlier.

If I may ask; between Aso Rock presidential villa and government houses in the states on one hand and hospitals/medical centres on the other, which one deserve a standby jet/helicopter the more? What is even preventing the government from purchasing and distributing at least, a helicopter to each of the FMCs in Nigeria?

Having died in active service so that others may live, Dr. Aisha deserves national recognition through the grant of posthumous national honours award more than some of the over-pampered and opportunistic serving or retired public or private office holders who do not genuinely have any credible act of patriotism or selflessness to show apart from unquenchable thirst for cheap popularity and questionable opulence.

The death of Dr. A’isha, who is among the very few female doctors of Taraba State origin, has certainly created a wide vacuum that may take years to fill. May Allah grant her aljannatul-firdaus!

Sa’ad Abubakar Zongre is a family friend to the deceased and lives along Yerima Bappa Sanda Road, Jalingo, 08067771017, [email protected]