,,,,,Delivers fully equipped, state-of-the-art Sickle Cell Care Centre at LASUTH
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
In commemoration of World Sickle Cell Day, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, (SSAP-SDGs) Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has called for a concerted effort to improve care for patients with Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria.
The Presidential Adviser made this call in a statement issued by her Media Aide, Desmond Utomwen, to commemorate World Sickle Cell Day, with the theme: “Hope Through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care Globally.”
World Sickle Cell Day is observed on June 19 every year. It is an annual event aimed at raising awareness about sickle cell disease globally.
Orelope-Adefulire emphasised the pressing need for stakeholders to reverse the trend of Sickle Cell Disease, which contributes to approximately 376,000 under-5 deaths annually, compared to 34,400 deaths from other causes.
Her call comes as a Lancet Haematology publication in August 2023 revealed that the rate of children born with sickle cell disease globally increased by 13.7 percent between 2000 and 2021, reaching an average of 515,000 babies per annum.
The study also found that sickle cell-specific under-5 mortality was 11 times higher than deaths due to other causes, resulting in approximately 376,000 deaths annually compared to 34,400 deaths from other causes.
In Nigeria, one in four people, or 25 percent, carry a sickle cell gene, meaning about 50 million people can transmit the gene to their children.
The Presidential aide urged immediate action to address this issue, stating, “We must act now to reverse this trend.”
Meanwhile SSAP-SDGs in demonstration of her commitment to addressing Sickle Cell Disease has delivered a fully equipped, state-of-the-art Sickle Cell Care Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
In the press statement, she said the centre, recently commissioned by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is expected to contribute to achieving SDG 3.2 on reducing under-five mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births or less by 2030, as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.
Orelope-Adefulire said this aligns with the cardinal pillars on healthcare and empowerment in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Tinubu administration.