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Health commissioner cautions on sickle cell

By Super Admin
Published Today
Newsday Weekly Rating: Unrated
By Shehu Ibrahim and Iliyasu Musa
04/30/2008 10:03 AM

Commissioner of Health in Nasarawa State, Mallam Abubakar Sarki Dahiru has advised the public to be conscious in picking their life partners, as a way of preventing and controlling the rising cases of sickle cell anemia among Nigerians.

The Commissioner spoke with Nigerian Newsday at the official flagging off of the 1st Nasarawa state sickle cell week organized by the ministry of health in collaboration with the Maidunama sickle cell foundation held at Ibrahim Abacha Youth Centre, Lafia.

He stressed the need for awareness on the dangers of overlooking genotype screening to ensure that the two risk groups did not come together so to avoid having sickle cell children.

Mallam Dahiru disclosed that Nasarawa state government would embark on free genotype testing and was making arrangements to get more testing machines for distribution to the rural areas, and hoped to collaborate with NGOs such as the Maidunama Foundation to awareness campaign.

He then stated that Nasarawa state government would acquire N9.3m worth of drugs to combat sickle cell anemia, and would be distributed free to local governments and development areas.

He commended the founder of Maidunama sickle cell Foundation, Ms Rabi Maidunama, for focusing on one of the dreaded diseases and called on others to contribute to the health section.

The commissioner also appealed to other spirited individuals to invest in non communicable disease like hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases that are also ravaging the people.

The foundation proprietor, Ms Rabi Maidunama said the NGO was created for the less privileged that suffer from the disease to provide help and counseling as well as create awareness on the danger of sickle cell anemia and assured sufferers of the disease that it could be managed.

She said the foundation was in memory of her late father who did not get tired of her, in spite of all the pains and troubles she must have put him through while growing up. She called on the state government to partner with corporate bodies and individuals to assist the foundation.

Ms Rabi’s mother, Hajya Maimuna Maidunama who was on hand to support her daughter, called on parents of sickle cell children to be very patient, as only knowledge and awareness would greatly reduce the spread of the disease. She advised parents to test their children, recalling how hectic it could be handling sickle cell children.

She then called on states and local governments to come to the aid of the sufferers of the disease as well as their parents.

Mr. Ade Ajibade, admin officer of Aja sounds, an educative entertainment outfit described the setting up of an NGO of this nature as unique as it would create awareness among people who would want to know their genotype as well as blood group. He said would awareness create understanding in handling the disease for the future and called on lawmakers to start thinking of making laws that would greatly impact on the health sector.

http://www.nasarawastate.org/articles/100/1/Health-commissioner-cautions-on-sickle-cell/Page1.html