Over 100 Sickle Cell Patients Benefit from NDDC, SCAIIN Health Partnership 

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa 

Over 100 children have benefited from a partnership between the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Sickle Cell Awareness Initiative Ireland-Nigeria (SCAIIN) to bring succour to sufferers of sickle cell anemia in Bayelsa State.

The Sickle Cell Health Prevention and Sensitisation Programme with the theme: “Bridging the Gap in Sickle Cell Disease Management and Care” took place at the weekend at  the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

Participants benefited from medical consultation, medical investigation, counselling and dispensing of drugs while they were encouraged to provide their contact details for further support.

The programme which is part of a Niger Delta wide campaign is to ensure that the voices of sufferers of sickle cell anemia, which were silent in the past, are heard in order to draw government attention to their plight.

Founder of SCAIIN, Mrs Esther Pepple Onolomemen, who spoke on Sickle Cell and the Awareness, expressed joy that at last, the voices of sufferers were being heard. Onolomemen thanked NDDC for the partnership to bring succour to the sufferers saying the children deserved to get the best care possible.

She also expressed the belief that the awareness would get to the government so that they would do something to ameliorate the pain the children are passing through.

She said: “Our children deserve to get the best care. Our children deserve so much more. We are happy that now the government is going to listen to us. This will not be the end of it. We believe that this is sustainable. I want to assure you all that as we have promised to support you, nobody will be left behind.”

In his remarks, the Bayelsa State Director at the NDDC, Goodness Alamieyeseigha said the programme was borne out of the determination of the management of the commission to tackle the problem of community folks across the region.

Represented by Mrs Okio Eucheria Uju, he urged the participants to take the campaign outside to create awareness about sickle cell anaemia, how to prevent and manage it in order to eradicate it.

He said: “The thing is to create awareness. After this programme we’ll go out, create awareness about sickle cell anemia, how to prevent it, and for the people who are in it already, how to manage it so that in time, this disease will be eradicated.”

Two parents who are caregivers, Odu Abigail and Ayibafieyepire Peter, highlighted the various challenges they have encountered in their struggle to save their children.

It was gathered that the programme which was launched in Rivers State had taken place in some Niger Delta states, including Delta and Ondo.