It was like yesterday that I resumed my pediatric posting. It was a much anticipated posting for me.

The reasons are not farfetched. For one , I became worried seeing my colleagues who had gone through the posting how stressed they always appear most times to a proportion that I almost mistaken them for non doctors. These guys are being overworked one person doing the work of ten people. They were overwhelmed with stress, no time to change after call, no time to relax. Not even the slightest corporate dressing and they sometimes appear haggard in their ghetto-like wears. No thanks to the society who still erroneously see doctors as the luckiest soul being financially rewarded. Of course doctors are under remunerated only taking solace in the self assurance and euphoria of heavenly gains for all good works. I had vouched never to lead this pattern of life when I got to pediatric rotation. Pediatrics happen to be my third rotation having passed through medicine as well as O and G.I enjoyed Medicine better mainly because I was left to take decisions most times which was though challenging but gave me opportunity to improve myself. Many thanks to all those that make my experience in pediatric rotation worthwhile. My colleagues for their support and cooperation, my seniors for the tutorship and guidance. The nurses for their friendliness and much needed timely support. Much more and

importantly the consultants who make themselves available for supervision, education tutelage.

Initially I had preferred to go through this pediatrics somewhere else where the stress is less and more hands are on ground. This was obviously unrealistic. My hospital was short staffed. Few consultants, a handful medical officers and scanty houseofficers.Most decision were taken by interns. Though this was demanding, nonetheless as I leave pediatrics behind, I look back with incurable nostalgic feeling missing the department a lot. I am leaving behind those sleepless nights when I was faced with difficult lines.I felt I was obliged and condemned to go through

pediatrics posting. But I was wrong and I was right.I was right in that though stressful, I found fufilment in what I do.I became happy when I later see a child who was brought to emergency unit dying and gasping, struggling for breath now walking around , playing and living few days later.I felt like an exceptional mortal.The feeling was like that of a superman being ratified by the creator. I became excited that through my divively ordained talisman hands, I had again changed the condemnation of another potential mortal to immotality.This to me is the greatest service I can render to human kind. I take it as my contribution towards achievement and realization of MDG 3 which is aimed at reducing child death by 75% at the end of 2015.It is true I may not get compensated for my extra work.The unsolicited assistance I render to new interns in the department , the staying behind beyond the normal duty time because I had to conclude my attending to a patient, the haphazard branching at the A&E just to say hi to my colleaques on call only to be caught in the web of assisting and attending to a child. I believe all these will be compensated by Jah in many ways. It is true that many children are dying, it is also a gospel truth that many died while I was in the unit, it is also equally apparently bitter truth and pathetic though that many more will still die of the big fives of child killers in developing countries- severe anemia from severe malaria, diarrhea, measles, malnutrition and chest infections. The fact however is that I had relentlessly contributed my own portion towards the safety of these dying children. Sometimes I asked myself where I got the motivation. I have no interest in specializing in pediatrics, no special flair for taking care of children. My motivation however understandably stem from a single fact- my undying commitment to do my work without leaving any stone unturned, without leaving any space for regret anytime, any day and at every point in time . My ruggedness that emanated from combining medical school and perhaps medical career now with innumerable online freelancing

without allowing one to affect the other. My commitment towards excellence in all that I do is the only motivation and driving force. Call it machine, call it eshin, and call it workaholic and all sorts of epithets. One fact remains, I may not have encounter with pediatrics again in my lifetime, however the competence and confidence inculcated so far will go a long way to help in my future career. What about my children that may like any other child fall sick? What about the society that I live that seeks for medical advice and help on their children? The best way to provide solution to a problem is by experiencing it, passing through it, witnessing it and may be managing it. My incurable passion circles around preventive medicine. I believe in preventing disease rather that running around for a solution after they occur. This in most cases is late. I hate seeing these children dying. We have lost champions to the big five killer diseases. 7 out of every 10 admission in pediatric emergency unit in developing countries are suffering from complicated malaria. Indeed malaria sucks blood, moreso childrens blood mercilessly. They die every day and nothing active is being done. Nigeria as a prototype of developing nation still has a long way to go. We can no longer afford to lose our innocent children .We must first and foremost realize that the life of every child is worth saving be it the child of the poor or rich. Therefore, eliminating extreme poverty captured by the MDG goal one is the most important, reliable and plausible way forward. Lets face it, when this is not resolved, all the other goals become a daydream. Malaria is an ill wind that blows no one good. It is disheartening that with all efforts we are still unable as a nation to overcome this cankerworm that daily devours our children voraciously. As I said earlier, the starting point is to realize that every childs life is worth saving and we must put facility in various hospitals and health centers to ensure likewise. Poverty is a disease . The golden rule is Never bring a child that you will not be able to take care of into this world. Children are valuable assets .They are the leaders of

tomorrow. They are the future of this nation. It grieves when I imagine how many children have been lost to preventable diseases. Unlike the biblical Jesus of Nazareth whose life was sought after but never caught, ,I wonder how many Nigerian Jesuses (our under five children) have been prematurely orphaned by infirmities and preventable diseases when the cold hands of death sentence them to the irrevocable journey into mortality. Nigeria has lost champions and world changers. Who knows how many messiah(s) she has sacrificed on the bloody alter of the big fives. We cannot afford to lose more ! We must erect structures to strangulate poverty at all levels. All Nigerians must have a minimum of daily food on their table. Policies that target prevention should be consolidated and advocated rather than dwelling on provision of drugs that would never be available or accessible or are rather too expensive to procure. As I round off my reflections, I say to the soulless killer of souls (death), let me remind you that you shall one day be required of your own life. Then your ignorance and foolhardiness in believing that you can take a childs life without question will surely be poopoohed and overtly exposed. And finally to the power intoxicated powers-that- be, let me remind you that the judgment day is here.