By Ojoma Akor
The Jephthah Ohiomokhare Sickle Cell Foundation (JOSCF) has enjoined Nigerians to access accurate information on the prevention and treatment of sickle cell disease.
Executive Director and Co-Founder, JOSCF, Senami Ohiomokhare, advised in Abuja during a blood donation drive and advocacy event themed “Blood for Life: Advancing Sickle Cell Care in Nigeria.”
She said doing so would help reduce the many myths and burden of the disease in the country.
She said, ” Get verifiable information, know about it, save your family and yourself. What is the purpose of bringing a child into the world if you don’t know whether they will live or not? Why don’t we make a simple, straightforward decision, a simple but effective decision that ultimately helps with issues? Around his age at the time. We have.”
Ohiomokhare highlighted that the event is in memory of her son, Jephthah, who passed away eight years ago due to complications of sickle cell disease.
She said, “The Jephthah Ohiomokhare Sickle Cell Foundation started, not just to keep his memory alive, but to find a way to make sure families do not go through what my family and I had to go through because of sickle cell. ”
“One thing that we are passionate about is to let people understand that sickle cell is the result of a choice that you make, and you don’t need to make choices that bring people into the world only for them to suffer and not have the quality of life that they need, and maybe eventually die to complications.”
She said it was important for people to find out about their genotype, adding, “And that question should be asked from the very beginning of a conversation, because most people get emotionally invested in love before they ask that question, making it difficult for them to separate when they find out that they are not compatible to be married.”
The Founder of the Maidunama Sickle Cell Foundation, Rabi Maidunama, said it is essential for people to know their genotype before getting married.
Maidunama, who is also the president of the Pan-African Sickle Cell Federation, said no one has the right to bring forth a child with sickle cell disease.
She said, “The best thing you can do for humanity now is to know your genotype and make the right choices. Before getting married. Know your genotype, both of you should go for the medical test.”
She also emphasized that people should do the medical test twice or three times at different locations, because anything can happen. ” There could be a mistake in the reagent, reading, or whatever the case may be.”
The Executive Director, Tosin Abimbola Dokpesi Foundation, TAD Foundation, Dr Oluwatosin Dokpesi, also advised Nigerians not to stigmatize people who have sickle cell disease.
She called for the implementation of policies and the sustainability of projects.
She also said policies must be implemented, not left in files, adding that projects that positively affect lives should be sustained, not abandoned.
She also decried the shortage of specialists to manage sickle cell disease. “Out of roughly 300,000 people living with sickle cell worldwide, Nigeria accounts for about 150,000, yet we have only around 300 specialist doctors.”
