INTEGRITY FIRST : Lessons to draw from Lucky Vincent survivors

May 6, 2017, was a fateful day for the nation following the grisly school bus accident which claimed lives of 29 pupils, two teachers and a driver, all from Lucky Vincent Primary School. It was one of horrific tragedy in Tanzania that claimed lives of many little ones in one go. Luckily, three pupils survived from that fatal accident. The trio had to undergo treatment in USA returned to Tanzania on, August 18, 2017.

The trio, Sadia Awadhi, Wilson Tarimo and Doreen Mshana were received back home and in particular at their school in Arusha and once again they revived memories of their fellow pupils who lost their lives on that fateful day. With all grief which our nation went through since that day, still we can encourage ourselves by drawing few lessons for bettering our future and our people in many aspects.

Due to the gravity of the accident, the demise of 29 children will remain lingering in our minds as part of bad history ever touched our nation. Though not every event accounts as the history, but only those events which are more significant in influencing our lives today and tomorrow, treatment of trio in America can help us to learn something.

The group of tourists who were travelling to Ngorongoro unexpectedly became neighbours of the victims of such terrified accident and eventually helped the trio to secure best treatment in America. This helps us to learn that any time one of us can be a neighbour to somebody at anytime and anywhere in this world. We must be ready to help when circumstances necessitate.

Thanks to all Good Samaritans

On that fateful day, the American tourists and neighbours from Karatu found themselves in place where our 29 children’s bodies were grisly scattered everywhere around the scene and by trying to rescue every child, they managed to save the lives of the trio who too were badly injured.

Those tourists could help what they could at the scene of the accident and then left the rest to the Karatu people but mercifully they didn’t. Those good American tourists suddenly became good Samaritans who subsequently with coordination of Mr Lazaro Nyalandu made it possible for the trio to be flown to America for special treatment.

All of us can imagine a kind of fate that would face the future of trio children without the handful help extended to them by those Good Samaritans-tourists. The story of Good Samaritan is well known to many people because of the parable told by Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke 10: 25-37.

The Jesus parable briefly meant to explain in simple language who was the neighbour of man who fell among the robbers, who then grappled him everything, beat him and left him half dead. Several people from Galilee passed by where the robbed man was lying helplessly, but they didn’t help him until one man from Samaria came by and took the robbers’ victim to where he was treated on the Samaritan’s cost.

Jesus question was who was the neighbour of the robbed man? Obviously, the Samaritan was. This is how the famous Good Samaritan adage became into existence. From this parable, we thus learn that my neighbour is not only the one who geographically has a permanent house close or adjacent to mine.

Neighbourhood is about proximity. Any human being whom I happen to be close to him at any time is my neighbour and I am responsible to help him in case he needs my help. Therefore the assistance given by American tourists must teach such an important lesson.

Thank Nyalandu and Samaritan Pursue

The organisation which shouldered itself with the burden of treating the trio is also known as Samaritan Pursue and the other one mentioned by Mr Nyalandu as STEMM. Personally, I know the Samaritan Pursue as one of the Christian organisations established under the Christian Ministries of famous American world known Evangelist Billy Graham as charitable organisation. It was revealed that Samaritan Pursue spent about $800,000 equivalent to Sh1.7 billion being expenses for special flight and treatment of our dear children, Sadia Awadhi, Wilson Tarimo and Doreen Mshana.

By any standards, this isn’t a little money. For an organisation to spend such amount of dollars for the treatment of Tanzanian three children is something that we shouldn’t take it for granted. Yes, we must be grateful to them, but also learn something from their generosity. We must also thank Mr Nyalandu for honourable task of coordination of the treatment of the trio in USA hospitals.

The Samaritan Pursue didn’t spend such big amount because they have much, but because they value human life which is more precious than money and gold. This is what we need to understand as Tanzanians. Some of our fellow Tanzanians do take advantage of car accidents to rob injured passengers their properties instead of helping them. Samaritan Pursue too, knew that our three children were in pathetic conditions beyond our health facilities in the country to treat them and that is why they decided to take them to the best hospitals available in US. It wasn’t their obligation, but they did it on humanitarian grounds.

More investment in health sector is needed

Tanzanians and all Africans in general do spend much money and other resources on unimportant and unnecessary things which do not help in nourishing human life. Some years in the past, it was revealed through survey that Dar es Salaam alone was spending about Sh900 billion annually on social functions like kitchen parties; send off parties and wedding ceremonies, etc. We too spend a lot on burial services rather than using the same for saving ill people’s lives. Such money can wisely be used to improve health services by facilitating our dispensaries, heath centres and district hospitals countrywide.

Our excuse has always being, we are too poor to do anything without foreign interventions. We need to change this attitude. Some of our development partners are Nordic countries which are small both in populations and lands, but they have been supporting us financially since independence todate. Nordics are leading the world in providing best services for their people. We need to learn from them.

For many years health sector has remained understaffed something which contributes in poor provision of better health services. While Tanzania has many qualified doctors, but the same are not employed on the excuse that, the government has no money to employ all the doctors. If we cannot make health sector our priority in life what else can we prioritize?

The government must do everything possible to enable every Tanzanian to qualify having health insurance. We cannot have a nation of health people without having health insurance schemes which will be affordable by every citizen.

Let’s facilitate MNH with modern technology and expertise

That should also be our lesson to our political leaders that it is high time for the nation to equip Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) with modern facilities to enable it to provide treatment of high qualities which would be needed even by people who happen to be involved into fatal accidents around the country. Yes, we are still poor nation, but to equip MNH with the best needed facilities and expertise is something within our ability and what is needed is a will; because where there is a will there is a way.

For many years, modernization of our hospitals has been taken for granted because most of our senior political leaders and senior government officials are privileged to be treated out of country; and that is why till today our hospitals cannot afford to provide treatments which need modern facilities because of lack of quality equipment, technology and expertise.

For almost two decades now the Health policy of 2007 which requires every village to be facilitated with dispensary, a ward to have at least health centre but such good policy has remained mainly unimplemented due myriad of excuses which do not hold water.

Tanzania still records high number of deaths for every 100,000 live births. Currently we lose more than 350 mothers during delivery because of poor health facilities at rural areas.

Many infants die before reaching five years due even preventable diseases. This shows that our priorities are not right. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere prioritized social services more than anything else and during his administration health services were offered freely to all.

Today our economy is much better than it was during Mwalimu’s administration era but what is needed is to put our priorities right. Only healthy people can build a healthy nation.

Kikwete deserves commendation for improving health sector

Retired president Jakaya Kikwete tried harder to beef up MNH, the only national hospital in the country with the best facilities and established new specialities like cardiac centre of Jakaya Kikwete and others.

The fifth phase administration under John Magufuli needs to continue beefing up MNH to the extent that many of our people who need specialty treatment must be treated in the country instead of sending them outside the country, something which costs the country dearly. As a country, we can revolutionize our health services if only we decide to love one another as Tanzanians. Poor services in all sectors are evidence that our societies still lack love for common development.

We need emulate Mother Teresa’s spirit of love by remembering her words: ‘’the world is hungry of love more than food’’.

Most of philanthropists like Bill Gates of USA and Mustafa Sabodo and Reginald Mengi of Tanzania do not give because they have much but give out of love.

Thus, with love we can transform our poverty into wealth for the betterment of us all. Summarily, let trio survivors of St Lucky Vincent School teach us an important lesson in all aspects pertaining to necessity of having well equipped hospital with modern facilities and expertise for health nation.

The author is a lawyer/journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]