World Sickle Cell Day: NGO Donates Drugs to Patients in Katsina

World Sickle Cell Day: NGO Donates Drugs to Patients in Katsina
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
In a bid to assuage the plight of sickle cell patients, a non-governmental organisation, Khairan Development Foundation, Wednesday donated drugs worth millions of naira to 1,082 persons living with the disease in Katsina State.
The drugs, which were donated by the Foundation to commemorate the World Sickle Cell Day include Lamox, Uptamin, Ibuprofen tablets, Archiprofen and J-proguanil, among others.
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted June 19th every year as the World Sickle Cell Day to raise awareness for the disease at international, national and local levels.
Distributing the drugs to the beneficiaries at Dutsin-Ma General Hospital, the Chairman of the Foundation and member representing Dutsin-Ma/Kurfi federal constituency, Hon. Armaya’u Abdulkadir, called on worthy individuals to assist people living with the disease.
Abdulkadir, represented by the Secretary of the Foundation, Ibrahim Bature, added that people living with sickle cell risk complications  like stroke, blindness and bone damage, amongst others, hence the donation.
The lawmaker said: “Overtime people with sickle cell experience damage to organs such as the liver, kidney, lungs, heart and spleen. Death can also result from complications of the disorder. This is why we deem it fit to assist them.
“There are 1,082 sickle cell patients that have registered in this hospital and today being the World Sickle Cell Day, we decided to come and distribute these drugs to them free to reduce their pains.
“We have been rendering humanitarian assistance to the needy in Katsina State since the inception of the foundation. We are going to continue with this after two weeks. Treatment of sickle cell most focuses on preventing and treating complications.”
Speaking earlier, the Chief Medical Director of Dutsin-Ma General Hospital, Dr. Bello Shehu, applauded the foundation for the donation and sued for collaboration between donor agencies in order to assist sickle cell patients and the vulnerable.

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