Sickle Cell Drugs Now Luxury — NGO Raises Alarm

A Non-governmental Organization, Living Hope Save Cell Foundation, has lamented the high cost of medication for the patients of sickle cell disease, calling on the Nigerian government to evolve policies capable of making the medication affordable.

 

The founder of the NGO, Ms Oluwabusayo Soretire, stated this on Thursday while speaking with newsmen during a walk tagged “Abeokuta Red Umbrella Walk” organized by the NGO to commemorate 2025 World Sickle Cell Day.

 

Soretire said that the high cost of medication for sickle cell patients in Nigeria has exacerbated their pains and challenges.

 

She explained that because of the current inflation in the country, prices of critical drugs have skyrocketed, thereby, making such drugs unaffordable for many patients.

 

The foundation stressed that the government must come up with policies that will alleviate the pains and sufferings of sickle cell warriors.

 

Soretire, however, disclosed that the walk was organized to create awareness on the genetic disorder, celebrate and encourage the warriors as well as calling the attention of the government and relevant stakeholders to the challenges associated with sickle cell disease.

 

She urged sickle cell patients tagged “warriors” not to see their condition as pathetic or death sentence, rather, they should be resilient, strong and courageous to pursue their life goals and ambitions.

 

Soretire said “This walk is to celebrate, advocate and speak out to the warriors that having sickle cells is not a death sentence.

 

Warriors are resilient, strong and courageous.

 

“However, the high cost of drugs, perhaps due to the economic situation and inflation has been a major challenge to us. For instance, a particular drug that was being sold for N1,300 last year is now being sold for N4,500. How many warriors can afford that?

 

“This is why I want to appeal to the government to evolve policies that will alleviate the pains and sufferings of sickle cell patients, particularly their medication.

 

“Also, the private sector and NGOs should partner with the government on making these drugs affordable”, Ms Soretire stated.

 

A parent of a sickle cell patient, Mrs Oluwayemisi Ogundipe, noted that managing a sickle cell child is not only time consuming, but financial and energy draining.

 

Ogundipe urged would-be couples not to be blinded by love, but to be realistic and know their respective genotype and blood groups before making marriage vows so as to avoid giving birth to sickle cell children.

 

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