EU referendum: Premature baby born at 28 weeks 'might not be alive' in event of Brexit, father says

A father whose infant son was born 12 weeks early has made an emotional appeal for Britons to vote to stay in the EU – to save the lives of children like his.

Joe and Nicola Jackson's baby boy Jamie was delivered at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in early June at just 28 weeks, after struggling for months with growth restriction in the womb.

Mr Jackson has since posted a powerful message of gratitude on Facebook to the medical team responsible for his son's care, saying that without the attention of European doctors he would not have survived - and urging those who haven't yet decided which way to vote in the EU referendum on 23 June to #voteinforjamie.

In the poignant missive, Mr Jackson wrote: "The fact that he has lived at all is a miracle of both faith and modern medicine. And whether he is with us for a few more days or another century his life is already a testament to the skill and dedication of the NHS, which has been unbelievable throughout."

He also made reference to the ongoing fight between junior doctors and the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has called for a 'seven-day NHS' and imposed a new contract on medics, sparking a bitter dispute over hours, pay, conditions and risk to patients.

"We have been blessed with a fully 7 day NHS with some of the best people and equipment in the world," Mr Jackson wrote.

"We have been seen by foetal care specialists, paediatricians, researchers, doctors, midwives, nurses, counsellors, physios and support staff who have been, without exception, wonderful, talented, caring and outstanding at their jobs. It is undoubtably because of their work that my son, and quite possibly my wife as well, are still alive.

"In fact, in the entire history of the human race the NHS is probably the best idea which any society has ever had."

Mr Jackson decried the actions of the Vote Leave campaign, which he described as "the sight of a stupid red bus claiming that if we left the EU we could pump another £350 million a week into the NHS" - a figure that has since been alleged to be false and which brought about the defection of the senior Tory MP Sarah Wollaston to the Remain camp.

"We've been treated by many people who are as British as they come but also, amongst others, by a Spanish nurse, a Greek midwife and a French paediatric consultant. The hospital has equipment from the UK but also from Germany and the Netherlands and goodness knows where else. And there are many people and much kit here from outside the EU. We live in a big, complicated and interconnected world. Our choice is to whether to embrace that fact or hide from it.

"The thing is, not one of the staff I've seen have given the slightest indication that they care about each other's birthplaces. Neither did they differentiate between Nicola and the Finnish lady in the next bed purely because of their nationality. All I've seen is people working with each other as professionals in order to treat the patients in front of them. Little else matters.

"Now I've no idea how many of these people, or how much of this care would still be available if we left the EU. Much of it presumably would. Some of it might not. But try as I might I can't see any way (dodgy bus maths aside) that leaving would make things better. The point is that a vote to remain is a vote to keep what we have, and what we have is bloody brilliant."

Mr Jackson finished his plea with a reminder for those planning to vote 'out' to consider his son's precarious situation.

"I hope that those who do wish to leave will at least consider the awkward truth that my son is currently in an incubator being kept alive by a French paediatrician," he wrote.

"And do so not only for my family but for the possibility that one day it could be anyone's child on such a ward. In total there are apparently 52,000 NHS staff who had the gall to born elsewhere in the EU. To misguidedly drive out some or all of these wonderful people, or to not let others arrive in the first place, is not a good policy. It's not even a bad policy. It's just plain madness.

"Let's realise instead that we are all humans, we are all in this together and we should celebrate that we have this incredible healthcare system right now. If you want to see the huge benefit to that system of being in the EU then trust me, spend a fortnight in foetal medicine, emergency delivery and a neo-natal intensive care ward. You'll be scoffing at that ridiculous bus by the time you're two days in.

"So if are still wondering which way to vote, or whether to vote at all, and if you're looking for a simple, positive reason to decide, then how about this: ‪#‎voteinforjamie‬."