Agency Parents of children with Sickle Cell Disease have appealed to the state and federal governments for assistance as the cost of drugs and treatment continues to skyrocket. They made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of an event organized by the Vicar Hope Foundation to commemorate 2024 World Sickle Cell Day in Aba, Abia on Saturday. NAN reports that the global observance day is annually celebrated on June 19 to raise awareness about sickle cell disease.
The theme for 2024 is ‘Hope Through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care Globally’. The parents, pleaded for urgent help to save their children’s lives, saying they cannot afford the cost of medications and management of the disease. One of them, Mrs Ngozi Ogbonna, said a false laboratory test result made her get married to her husband, who had the AS gene like herself and they ended up having four children, with two being SS.
She said managing two children with the disease had become expensive, hence the need for government assistance. Ogbonna said the government should not leave the medical care of children with SCD to only parents if they want the children to survive and be useful. Another, Okechukwu Joseph, said taking care of his second daughter, an SCD patient, had been quite a financial strain.
He added, “My experience with doctors is that they are not doing the best that is required, so they need more specialised training. At FMC Umuahia, my child was left t.
