This newspaper has been hauled over the coals this week after exposing allegations of malpractice and more at the Rainbow Ward, the children’s cancer unit, at Mater Dei Hospital. But the kind of savage reaction from some quarters has been completely unwarranted.
But before delving into the merits or otherwise of those reactions, this newspaper wishes to make one fundamental point crystal clear: we have never and never will under this newspaper’s current editorship unnecessarily sensationalise a story as sensitive as this in nature.
In fact, there are many other allegations related to this case which we have not printed, in the interests of all those concerned; the parents of the patient who have reported the allegations, the staff at the ward, in the interest of the Puttinu Cares Foundation and its hundreds of volunteers who selflessly volunteer their time and energy, and the thousands of people who donate regularly to the cause.
Nor are we passing any kind of judgement on the case, there are investigations underway and we will respect the result of those investigations.
The parents of the young cancer patient, who as far as we can ascertain have no reason to invent such claims, reached their wits’ end after taking their concerns to every authority they could possibly think of. In the end they resorted to the media and we have followed the case in line with our vocational calling.
They deserve that their story be told. They are frustrated that no one will properly hear out their complaints, they fear for their child and after all, only a parent in such a situation can truly understand what it is that they are going through. And on top of all that, they have encountered such hostility from the people who are also duty bound to help them in every way possible. As a parent, the very thought of facing what these parents have faced turns this particular editorialist’s blood cold.
These parents are facing what they claim to be discrimination by those who are caring for their sick child, who has three more years of treatment to undergo. But in the meantime, anything can happen and he might not survive – as a cancer patient this boy, who turns four next week, has very low immunity which makes him prone to infection and high fevers, which can be potentially fatal. And as such, they have every right to be concerned about the kind of behaviour and contempt shown toward their son that they have reported.
Some have argued that the parents should not have complained until their son’s treatment is completed so as not to compromise his health. The parents, however, feel that what they are alleging is having detrimental effects on their son’s health and that the matters raised must be addressed as soon as possible, since they do not know how many tomorrows their son may have.
Over the past weeks, this newspaper has spoken at length with the parents, with former nurses from the ward in question and with organisers of the fund-raising event that features prominently in the allegations. We have verified information from multiple sources and while we are not passing judgement in the case, it is our sacrosanct duty to make that information known, as long as it is the wish of the parents to do so.
Over the years, we have been presented with hundreds if not thousands of allegations that we have chosen to not follow up for one reason or another, be it for lack of sound information or because the allegations we have been presented with have been unfounded – our track record of libel cases proves this point and it is abundantly clear that it is not this particular newspaper’s practice to shoot from the hip.
Over the last week we have been attacked by scores of people in apparent blind support of Puttinu Cares, as well as by sections of the print and television media. Let us make it perfectly clear: we have absolutely nothing against Puttinu Cares. In fact we applaud the precious work the organisations does year after year. But when allegations of this sort are levelled, they must be taken seriously and investigated as thoroughly as possible. We also expect that the findings of those investigations are published as soon as possible once they are wrapped up.
These reactions have been very subjective and savage, ironic for an organisation that incorporates the word ‘cares’ in its name. The question has to be asked as to whether this type of reaction is intended to force us to back off from the case, which will certainly not happen, to simply defend the organisation that they support so strongly or to ensure that no one else comes forward with similar complaints.
Rest assured that this newspaper will ensure that the family in question and the young cancer patient suffer no repercussions because of the parents’ courage to come forward and speak up.
But we as a newspaper and journalists are used to this, we have very thick skin and people baying for our blood is all part of the job. But, on the other hand, the parents of the three-year-old boy undergoing leukaemia treatment are not and their courage for having come forward to tell their tale and make their reports to the authorities should be commended.
Over and above the content of the reactions, perhaps what is even worse is the lead doctor’s attitude toward the child, which is reprehensible and in possible violation of medical ethics. How can anyone, let alone a medical professional, accuse a three-year-old receiving a cocktail of medication, steroids and chemotherapy of acting up and accuse the parents, with all the pressures they are under and heartbreak they have suffered, of not disciplining their sick child enough? If not a violation of medical ethics, what this person has said in other sections of the press is a violation of humanitarian ethics.
We will at this point dwell no further on requests for funds and missing donations of equipment – that will be a matter for the authorities to deal with. What we will do is to stand by this story irrespective of the pressures applied, and ensure that this family who has been so maligned over the past week gets the justice and quality of treatment for their son that they so rightly deserve.