By MUHAMMAD NUR TIJANI

Dr Annette Akinsete, National Director/CEO of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, says Nigeria bears the highest burden of sickle cell disease globally.

She also identified Kano State as one of the most affected areas in the country.

Akinsete stated this on Saturday during a week-long intervention programme in Kano, organised by the foundation in collaboration with the Kano State Government, teaching hospitals, and other health facilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme is aimed at strengthening prevention, treatment, and care for persons living with sickle cell disease.

The CEO said the foundation, which operates as a non-governmental advocacy organisation, works closely with government at both national and sub-national levels through public-private partnerships to improve outcomes for patients.

According to her, the foundation is involved in prevention, treatment, care, research, and emerging curative approaches, including stem-cell transplantation for eligible patients.

“We do everything related to sickle cell disease from prevention to treatment, care, research, and now moving toward cure through stem-cell transplantation,” she said.

Akinsete explained that the intervention in Kano formed the climax of activities carried out during the week, including medical outreach, training of health workers, and stakeholder engagement.

She said during the outreach, patients received free medications and nutritional support, noting that many of the beneficiaries would normally pay out of pocket for lifelong treatment.

“We provided routine medications that many patients require for survival.

“These drugs were given free for about three months, alongside food support such as rice and cooking oil,” she said.

Akinsete added that nutrition remained a critical component of sickle cell management, and stressed the importance of holistic care.

The CEO also disclosed that healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and community health extension workers, were trained to improve service delivery at primary and secondary healthcare levels.

“It is not enough to provide medicines. If health workers are not properly trained, care will still be inadequate.

“That is why capacity building is central to what we do,” she said.

Akinsete further noted that post-training engagement would continue through digital platforms to ensure sustained knowledge sharing among professionals.

She also said religious leaders were engaged as part of community sensitisation efforts, given their influence in shaping public attitudes and decisions.

“We engaged both Muslim and Christian leaders because many families listen to them.

“Their role in awareness creation is critical in addressing sickle cell disease,” she said.

Akinsete added that discussions were ongoing around premarital genotype screening policies, adding that stakeholders were examining ethical, legal, and human rights considerations surrounding compulsory restrictions.

She reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to supporting government efforts, stressing that sustainable healthcare delivery required strong collaboration between public institutions and non-governmental organisations.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (KASCHMA), Dr Rahila Mukhtar, said the agency had enrolled 40,999 sickle cell disease patients under its various health intervention schemes.

Mukhtar said the beneficiaries were captured under programmes such as the Abba Care initiative and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health.

She explained that the patients were currently receiving treatment across 484 accredited health facilities in the state, including major hospitals such as Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Hospital.

According to her, the initiative is being implemented with the support of patient associations, the Sickle Cell Foundation, and other stakeholders involved in enrolment at designated centres.

The executive secretary added that additional patients were still being enrolled, urging health workers to maintain quality service delivery.

“The programme is designed to advance universal health coverage for vulnerable sickle cell patients in Kano State,” she noted.

A cross section of beneficiaries who spoke to NAN commended the Kano State Government and partner organisations for the intervention. (NAN)