“Being Sickle Cell Disease Advocate Alone isn’t Enough, Taking Practical Approaches Make Difference” Groups Say

By: Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem

The Dawn Islamic Organization in collaboration with Premium Health and Educational Consultancy, and Health Abundance Initiative have taken practical approaches to prevent sickle cell diseases and other health challenges through medical outreach.

According to the team lead and National leader of the Dawn Islamic Organization, Adelu Habeebat, she said, the initiative to practically approach the contemporary health challenges were borne out of the purpose to nip in the bud of prevalence of diseases.

“Despite our louder advocacy, the numbers still keep assuming a geometric shape, so we realized that being an advocate alone isn’t enough to curtail the challenges but taking a practical approaches can give a desirable impact” she said.

On the basis of available data, Nigeria accounts for 33% of global burden of sickle cell disease. While Nigeria also take the lead in epidemic of Hepatitis B, HIV diseases, diabetes mellitus and malaria disease globally, which are however having health and socioeconomic implications on the populace.

Also the project manager for the initiative, Muhammad Hamsat, who is a Medical Laboratory Scientist expressed that: ” beyond being activists, this approach is the best to make people get it right and apart from the fact that our beneficiaries are aware of their genetic statuses, they also have the opportunity to be medically informed and be able to do other tests.

He however, lamented in a reaction that represents the complaints of the masses on how people are being made to fall in the victim of quackery:

” Hearing the stories of people presented with fake results overtime are pathetic, but what we could do from our end is to offer such service freely from our largesse and ensure that people get results that are reliable. He also advised everyone to ensure that they do their genotype tests in standard laboratory and preferably in two different facilities before conclusion” he said.

Speaking further: ” The medical outreach was conducted at Iqra College, and Wara Community, Ilorin Kwara State. The medical tests exercised are genotype test, hepatitis test, HIV test, malaria test, blood grouping, glucose levels, and blood pressure check and some of the beneficiaries also
went home with drugs as warranted by individual’s medical need.

Commenting on the result of the outreach: ” following the skillful investigations by our medical volunteers-Medical Laboratory Scientists, Doctors, Nurses and Public Health Scientists-, the results are very encouraging as there are no sickle cell disease detected and about 70% of the participants are AA genotype. While Hepatitis B cases and malaria disease confirmed are enrolled for appropriate medical interventions” he enthused.