Support sickle cell patients on bone marrow transplant — Experts

Health experts have called for financial support for sickle cellpatients who require Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) The experts made the call at a workshop organised by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria (SCFN) to mark the 2016 World Sickle Cell Day inLagos. The lead paper presenter at the workshop, Dr Sola Olowoselu, who is also […]

Health experts have called for financial support for sickle cellpatients who require Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)
The experts made the call at a workshop organised by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria (SCFN) to mark the 2016 World Sickle Cell Day inLagos.
The lead paper presenter at the workshop, Dr Sola Olowoselu, who is also a consultant hematologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said whereas transplantation should be included as a routine therapeutic option offered to patients early in the course of theirdisease, the fact was that it did not come cheap.
Olowoselu said to carry out BMT in the United States, a Nigerian patient must have at least N100 million or pay about N80 million in the United Kingdom. He said for those who may choose to go to Italy, they may be required to cough out as much as N40 million.
“With such huge amount to cough out, only few Nigerians could be said to have the wherewithal. A larger percentage lack financial power to do so. Hence the need for government and philanthropists across the country to come to the aid of the affected persons,” Olowoselu said.
Also, a laboratory scientist with the SCFN, Yemi Onijala, said although the foundation had on its own sourced for over N70 million to assist patients seeking Bone Marrow Transplant in Rome from different past and present governors and individuals, but the sum was still a far cry from what was needed to assist the affected persons.
Meanwhile,the Lagos State government has disclosed plans to distribute tetanus toxoid to all women of child-bearing-age as part of measures to reduce cases of child and maternal related deaths in the state.
The special adviser to the state governor on Primary Health Care, Dr Olufemi Onanuga, made the disclosure while declaring open thefirst round of the 2016 Maternal and Child Mortality ReductionProgramme in Lagos.
Onanuga said the state government was ready to launch a wide range of high-impact and low-cost package of protective, preventiveand promotive services that would be provided to the whole family during the week in an integrated manner.