Mr. Sampson Manu, the General Manager of SMS Media Services, acommunication firm in Obuasi, has called on the Government to providethe people of Obuasi with a Sickle cell clinic to deal with the surgeof sickle cell cases in the mining town.
He also recommended that sickle cell tests should be made mandatoryfor couples before their marriages are approved.
Available statistics from the Obuasi Municipal Health Directorateindicate that a total of 43 new Sickle cell cases have been reportedin Obuasi between January to May, this year,whiles in 2020 alone atotal of 77 new cases were reported.
He explained that Sickle cell disorders are a group of illnesses that affect red blood cells and cause a person’s normally round and flexible blood cells to become stiff and sickle shaped, stopping their oxygen from moving freely around the body.
Mr. Manu who made the call at a symposium organised by his outfit in collaboration with the Information Services Department in the Obuasi Municipality to mark the 2021 edition of World sickle cell Day disclosed that about 15,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease in Ghana each year.
The symposium was attended by people living with Sickle cell anaemia, parents with sickle cell children, the clergy, members of Rotary Clubof Obuasi, Officers of Ghana Immigration Service, NABCO personnel as well as National Service Personnel.
The development, he said, is worrying, hence the call for the establishment of a Sickle clinic in Obuasi to create awareness and also provide quality healthcare for persons living with sickle cell anaemia, especially in emergency situations.
According to him, currently patients have to travel from Obuasi to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi to access Sickle cell Clinic since it is the only Sickle cell clinic in the Region, which situation he said, puts financial burden on patients as well as their parents,while those who do not have the means are denied healthcare.
Mr. Manu called on stakeholders to prioritize the healthcare needs of people living with Sickle cell anaemia, and asked for urgent investment to be made in educating people on the disease to seek proper health care which will reduce the misconceptions people have about the disease.
The General Manager of SMS Media Services also entreated couples to go for sickle cell test before taking the decision to give birth.
David Ameyaw of Holystic Nutrition, an Obuasi based Health NGO took participants through the best nutrition for sickle cell patients and advised parents of sickle cell patients to make sure their children get the right nutrition.
Mr. Ameyaw recommended balanced diets and provision of essential food nutrients such as oil foods, fibre, vitamins, minerals which will reduce the rate of crisis and enable them grow well, he caution patients to guard against alcohol consumption, for excessive consumption of alcohol has the tendency of causing dehydration which hinder blood flow and can easily trigger crisis.
Mr. William Davis Agyekum, a Staff Nurse at the Obuasi Government Hospital called for increased awareness on the disease and pleaded with the media to educate the public by prioritizing education on Sickle cell anaemia.
He advised people living with Sickle cell as well as their parents to seek for appropriate medical attention and urged the public to avoid discrimination against people living with Sickle cell anaemia and encourage them to seek for proper medical treatment since there are proper treatments available.
Madam Vida Bonwo, a mother of two children living with sickle cell sharing her experience recounted moments where she had to sell all her belongings to take care of her two children who are 3 and 9 years old,and has resorted to herbal treatments for her children because of lack of funds to take them to the hospital.She made a passionate appealed for assistance to take care of the medical needs of her children.
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