NDDC lifts sickle cell sufferers in Edo

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has provided medical interventions to enable sickle cell sufferers to live a better life.

The NDDC said it was following global medical trends to ensure that people with sickle cell have longevity, quality of life, and improved health outcomes.

Edo State NDDC Director, Mrs. Mercy Babawale, spoke in Benin City at a one-day awareness campaign on sickle cell health promotion and sensitisation.

 Mrs. Babawale said has sickle cell campaign was one of the Commission’s priority programmes

According to her, “Before now, sickle cell was like a death sentence. People gave up easily on those with the condition. But things are changing, and medically, things are evolving.

“As a Commission, we don’t think it is fair, especially as an interventionist agency, to fold our hands and watch people die or give up hope. That is why the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, and the board led by our Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, decided that we must intervene.”

Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, lauded the NDDC and its partners for sustaining the fight against sickle cell disorder, even as he called for deeper collaboration to tackle critical health challenges across the state and the region.

Dr. Oshiomhole said the present administration remained open to strategic collaborations that would improve access to healthcare and strengthen support systems for persons living with sickle cell disorder.

His words, “I want to see a kind of partnership that will give our sickle cell warriors the opportunity for stem cell transplants. I believe it is doable. We can fashion a way to subsidise it for our warriors. I will be in touch with the NDDC to see how the Edo State Government can come in to make all of this work.

“I know this is a stepping stone to greater opportunities and greater programmes ahead. I also commend our sickle cell warriors for their resilience and encourage them to continue to avail themselves of laudable events like this.”

President of the Sickle Cell Club in Edo State, Charles Edigin, called for more investment in modern treatment options and appealed to more agencies to join the campaign.

 “We need bone marrow transplant opportunities. We need oxygen concentrators. These interventions help reduce the severity of crises, and I can testify to how helpful they are.”

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