Wed, 21 Jun 2017 09:27:03 +0000
By JOSSY CHAIMA
GOVERNMENT will continue to deploy specialist doctors at all medical centres to ensure that people living with sickle cells are given the necessary care, says Kitwe district commissioner Binwell Mpundu.
Mr Mpundu said there was also need to fight stigma surrounding the disease.
He said stigmatization must end as people with sickle cells were considered not to be normal human beings.
Mr Mpundu was speaking at the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day yesterday at Kitwe’s Freedom Park, which was held under the theme ‘‘Exhibit courage and address support to sickle cell disease’’
At the same function Kitwe Central Hospital Sickle Cell Disease Club president Jerome Sulubani said the district has recorded 650 sickle cell cases this year alone.
Dr Sulubani said the club had seen a growth in the number of registered patients since inception in 2011 with about 175 patients.
He said the number of sickle cell patients has kept growing in Kitwe.
Dr Sulubani said sickle cell remained one of the main causes of death in infants especially in Africa where more than 1,000 babies are born with the disease.
He said the main reason of celebrating the disease was to increase its awareness as a major health issue worldwide.
“The major reason of celebrating sickle cell is to ensure that people living around the world and community get to know about it and the struggles and suffering the families go through.
“All the misconceptions and stigma about the disease should be removed and all the member countries requested to establish various programmes to make easy access to treatment for the disease,” he said. And Kitwe district medical superintendent Dr Joseph Musowoya said Government has supported the clubs through the Ministry of Health and hospital management to share information and experience among families and relations that were affected by the disease.
He said sickle cell patients should avoid facts that triggered the blood cell such as dehydration, cold weather and avoid any form of illnesses in the body.
