How much to push?

On Wednesday, I learned that Alex, a boy I had transported from Kabila to Bugando, about an hour and a half away by car, had died.  He was the fifth child I had escorted from my outreach sites to Bugando, and he was the fifth to die.

When I encounter a very sick child during my outreach visits to district health centers, I usually insist that the child be brought to Bugando for further care and treatment.  Often, the families are hesitant as they know that many children brought to Bugando never return home.  Sometimes I push the move to Bugando hard, since I know there is no chance that the child can improve if they stay where they are.

With the passing of Alex though, I’ve become discouraged, and wonder if it isn’t time to re-evaluate how hard I advocate moving sick children to Bugando in the future. It used to seem like a straightforward matter to me: this child is very sick, moving him or her to Bugando is the best option, so why waste time? 

But of course things are much more complicated than that.  For the mother and child to leave their village, the mother has to arrange for childcare for the sons and daughters left behind--if she’s lucky, there are neighbors who can help, but sometimes the other children are left alone, creating a lot of worry for the mother while she’s in Mwanza.  Once at Bugando, the child‘s family can accrue large medical bills, which is a tremendous financial strain, made worse by the fact that too often, all the expensive medicine and tests have not prevented the child’s death. Finally, some families may prefer to have their child die at home, rather than lingering in a hospital ward full of strangers for weeks or months.

As I continue my outreach work, please pray that I would have both the wisdom and sensitivity to know what is best for the child and the child’s family, and not simply to push my agenda.