The Federal Government has called for stronger international cooperation and investment to expand diagnosis, treatment and long-term care for people living with sickle cell disease.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Adekunle Salako made the call at the launch of OneSCD, a global partnership established to promote equity and improve sickle cell care, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Salako said the initiative should move beyond advocacy and become a platform for coordinated implementation, financing and accountability.
He urged multilateral institutions, development partners, philanthropies, researchers and private companies to support country-led health systems and help scale proven interventions.
According to the minister, sickle cell disease affects almost eight million people worldwide, with more than 75 per cent of cases in sub-Saharan Africa.
He said Nigeria carries the world’s largest national burden, with an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 babies born with the condition each year.
Salako said Nigeria was strengthening its national response through a federal sickle cell programme, a national steering committee and clinical management guidelines.
He added that integrated care pathways were being developed to expand newborn and under-five screening, confirm diagnoses, link patients to treatment including hydroxyurea and retain them in care.
Pilot programmes are operating in Lagos, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory through maternity, immunization and primary care services.
The minister also said six centres of excellence had been established and equipped with high-performance liquid chromatography machines for specialized diagnosis.
Nigeria, he said, was also working to improve access to medicines and diagnostics, strengthen supply chains, train health workers and integrate sickle cell indicators into health information systems.
Salako said OneSCD could help connect political leadership, technical expertise, patient experience and financing around a more coordinated global response.
