Ikpeazu’s wife seeks strict enforcement of sickle cell law

Wife of Abia State Governor, Nkechi Ikpeazu, has canvassed strict enforcement of the state’s law on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), which imposed sanction on institutions, religious bodies, marriage registries and families that wed couples without confirming their blood groups and genotypes.

Speaking at an event to mark this year’s SCD Awareness Day in Umuahia, she said the challenge of combating SCD was exacerbated by deficient genotype and hemoglobin testing methods and equipment yet to be phased out from available health systems in substandard laboratories.

The Abia First Lady pointed out that large population, who patronise substandard laboratories and get incorrect medical information, which affects their healthcare decisions, create gaps in healthcare, stressing that urgent intervention was necessary to address the anomaly.

She added that to fill the gap, while the Vicar Hope Foundation provides care to SCD patients at the Aba General Hospital and the Foundation’s Centre in Umuahia, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu directed the 17 council areas to set up SCD Mini Care Centres for care, testing and counseling services at the grassroots level.