Expert call on govt to employ qualified persons living with sickle cell

On Jun 5, 2022

A medical doctor and founder, Sickle Live Foundation, Dr. Oluwatosin Adesoye, has called on governments at the local, state and federal levels in Nigeria to give preference to the employment of qualified people among those living with the sickle cell disorder.

Adesoye, spoke in Osogbo on Saturday during the 2022 edition of the foundation’s awards and fundraiser.

Her foundation is involved in the care of people living with sickle cell disorder, the government must provide job opportunities for sufferers since most private employers wouldn’t tolerate their falling into crises and inability to work, she said.

Sickle cell patients undergo intense stress to acquire education, adding that the cost of treatment, whenever they fall into stress, was also beyond their reach.

According to her, it is only when sickle cell warriors have secured jobs that they will make money to take care of their health. She noted that despite having the highest cases of sickle cell in the world, Nigeria neglects its sickle cell sufferers.

“Sickle cell disease is a costly condition. I am the one they spend most on among my siblings even now that the economy is bad. Many warriors don’t even have food to eat, let alone being able to buy routine drugs. They can’t pay hospital bills. Many people are still ignorant of the disease.

“People still die undiagnosed. To replace a joint in Nigeria is between N1.5 and N3m. There are many complications and many sickle cell warriors just play along because they don’t have money to take care of themselves.

“We have to do more in the area of research. Also, there are a lot of unemployed sickle cell warriors because private employers in Nigeria will not give medical leave, and if miss work for one month or more, they may say you are not productive and sack you,” Adesoye added.

In their separate remarks, Osun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu and a consultant psychiatrist with Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, both agreed that more funding should be provided for research work on sickle cell.

Isamotu also said, the state government was already working on a special health package for people living with the disorder to make treatment more affordable.

Punch