The story of three-year-old Esi Lale brings tears. Her short-lived life is not only about the loss of a child or a father’s struggle against the odds to get his daughter treatment but also the failure of the health system.

This failure is not entirely of the medical staff, more of it has to do with resourcing the hospitals in Samoa with the right equipment and the specialists needed in cases like this. It is a failure of the government to take loans and risks to invest in the public health system.

It is a failure of the ‘waiting for a donor’ strategy to address the immediate needs of the people. While the parents are mourning, there is a little blame that goes to them as well. They should not have waited for two months to go to the hospital either. Our sympathies are with you.

The loss of this young life should open some eyes, if it does not then we will continue to see cases like Esi’s.

Young Esi was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. In February of this year, Esi Lale stumbled and fell, hitting the side of her eye. Her father Lale Feleti went through desperate measures to get her daughter medical attention and financial support after learning of her critical condition.

The bruise started getting to her eyeball but they did not anticipate it to get worse. They then took her to the hospital last month on Mother's Day holiday and were there for weeks until they were told that neither the local hospital nor New Zealand’s best could do anything to save Esi.

A communication from oncologists in New Zealand was received on May 30, 2024, stating that the cancer was beyond the point where it could be salvaged within the parameters of the financial agreements, given the severe state of the vast metastatic disease.

There are a lot of what-ifs that can talked about. What if her parents took quicker action? What if the medics in the first instance had done a scan? What if money was made available sooner?

Then there are the whys. Why was not a scan done? Why were there no checks to see the real extent of the damage? Why was this case not treated with urgency?

All these questions can be asked but none of these will bring back Esi. Her father described her as full of life. Even in palliative care, the little girl was cheerful.

This is a stark reminder to the authorities to invest in the public health system. There is a need to invest in new equipment, bring in specialists, get more doctors and nurses, get more labs in the hospitals, have more lab technicians and do an overall review of practices in the outpatients and emergency departments.

Many times, patients are returned home with a prescription for painkillers and antibiotics. The real cause of diseases and infections are not tested, and patients are not given the scans and lab tests that may be necessary. This is because the hospitals are under-resourced.

A year ago, an expatriate doctor on a diplomatic engagement commented that working in Samoan hospitals was similar to being in a warzone because the proper equipment was lacking and at most times compromises were made. Unfortunately, this doctor was expelled from the country the very next day.

Her comments were a truthful observation. This is the state of the public health systems and a lot needs to be done. For this government, their term is nearing an end. If they are thinking about creating a legacy, why not be remembered as the government that improved this nation’s health infrastructure?

Our doctors and nurses work hard with limited resources and sacrifice a lot. They need these resources to do their work properly.

Urgent steps are needed if we are to prevent further loss of life just like Esi’s. The pain and suffering endured by the child and then the torment her parents went through should never be repeated.

Rest in peace Esi, for now, you are free of pain.