A university don from the department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Igbinedion University, Okada, Prof. Dominic Osayande Osaghae, Thursday, called on the federal government to establish control programmes across the country to manage the 47.5 million persons living with the Sickle Cell Disorders as is done in other climes. He made the call while delivering a lecture titled “The Roadblocks on the highway to survival of children: the interventions of a Paediatrician,” at the 15th inaugural lecture of Igbinedion University.
The professor said there are four million(4million) sufferers and 47.5 million carriers of Sickle Cell Disorders inNigeria which has placed it as the country with the highest concentration ofvictims of Sickle Cell Disease in the world.
“There arefour million sufferers and 47.5 million carriers of Sickle Cell Disorders inNigeria. Therefore, the country has thehighest concentration of victims of Sickle Cell Disease in the world. Hence,considering the presence of a high carrier rate of the gene (25%) in Nigeria,there is need for the establishment of control programmes as has been done in other countries with farless burden of the disease”, he stated.
He charged thefederal government to emulate Edo State which has a Sickle Cell Centre addingthat such has helped it in managing those with the disorder.
Prof Osaghae saidthe intervention of a Paediatrician illustrates the health challengesencountered by children during their growing years from birth to adolescence.
He said it alsoenvisaged that children are on a marathon journey, lasting eighteen years onthe “highway to survival” because of numerous roadblocks thatconstitute impediments on their road to survival.
Earlier, the ViceChancellor, Igbinedion University, Okada, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye described theevent as ‘a town and gown meeting where ideas and knowledge could be shared’.
He said theinstitution has blazed the trail since its establishment and has become a rolemodel to other institutions in the country.
The VC urged guests to take the lectureseriously as it is very apt considering the survival of our children and theirwell being.
