Happy New Year everyone!
So I have decided to begin to write again my memoirs as a Paediatrician where I share my perspectives on certain issues and situations I face as a Paediatrician with the mindset to bring out a message or two for us to take away. This is hoping I will be consistent this year.
So though ATP is on holidays so our volunteers can enjoy the festivities with families and though it is a rule not to inbox our moderators and professionals, I still get steady flow of inbox messages from parents asking about the health of their children. However that is not what I will be writing about today! As a doctor and Paediatrician, I am used to being always on duty anytime and anywhere even in the church 🙂 !
However that is not what I will be writing about today! As a doctor and Paediatrician, I am used to being always on duty anytime and anywhere even in the church 🙂 !
The concern I have is this behaviour which I think should go with the year 2018. It is the issue of DELAY IN SEEKING APPROPRIATE MEDICAL CARE for our children when sick. It has always be baffled me when I get inbox messages or posts on ATP about very ill children with the question what should I do? I always think it is obvious that sick children should be taken to the hospital? Is there something I am missing?
This morning, I still got an inbox question that was asking what else to do for a sick child who has been treated already with antimalarial and antibiotics but still not better.
At least that shows the child has had some form of treatment though I am not so sure who recommended those treatment or if they were self-recommended.
So as we start a new year in 2019, please let us as parents, guardians and caregivers of children LEARN TO TAKE SICK CHILDREN to the hospital. I know we have stated it often but at the risk of sounding redundant, Ask The Paediatricians is an health education platform online and can not treat sick children. Ideally, we should not even answer questions about what is the cause of this and that and the treatment for this and that. That is why some members are frustrated and complained about when our answer is “Take the child to the hospital”!!
In summary as I will always keep my messages simple and short in 2019, when a child is ill and you have done a few things as first aid and the child is not better, please take them to the hospital. For health information and education, when the child is not sick, you can always ask us on ATP.
I will continue my memoir tomorrow on why it is dangerous to delay in taking sick children to the hospital. Meanwhile can you tell me the reasons why some of us don’t go to the hospitals even after the children have been sick for days?
Thank you for reading!
#DrGbemiATP #ATPaediatrician #PaediatricianMemoir #02012019