Sickle cell patients: We can’t get drugs in public hospitals
Sickle cell anemia patients in Kaduna State have complained of lack of drugs for their disease in public hospitals, and have appealed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai to intervene. The patients said lack of drugs, especially Paludrine, was increasing their plight as they had to spend more on drugs outside public hospitals.
Speaking when a support group, the Bako Youth Development Foundation, visited the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, HajiyaHafsat Baba in Kaduna, they said they were in dire need of government intervention to save their lives as they couldn’t afford the bills in private hospitals.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Andy Bako, said a key drug for sickle cell disease, Paludrine, was not always available in hospitals.
“We go outside to buy, which is quite expensive. There is need for other drugs such as Folic Acid, B-Complex and multivitamins to be made available in all public hospitals because they help patients. A sickle cell clinic is available in only one public hospital, which is BarauDikko Teaching Hospital, there is need to provide such clinics in all public hospitals to increase access since sickle cell patients are scattered around the state,” he said.
While appealing to the state government waivers onmedical bills for people living with sickle cell anemia as is being done for people living with HIV/AIDs, he stressed the need to encourage youths to go for genotype tests which should also be made free to enhance access.
“One of the ways the state government can help people living with sickle cell anemia is to empower them so that they can pay their medical bills. Apart from unavailability of Paludrine, the cost of laboratory investigations which include blood transfusion is also high. Another challenge we face on a daily basis is the discriminatory attitude of health workers towards us particularly on our clinic day (Thursdays) as they sometimes ignore us, shout at us or make derogatory comments about us,” he said.
“Most of us are jobless because of the circumstances we found ourselves. Because we have to take our drugs regularly and go to hospital when in distress, we find it difficult to pay the bills due to poverty,” he added.
A 24-year old sickle cell patient, HadizaSani Mohammed, pleaded with the government to improve facilities at the BarauDikko Hospital.
Responding, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, HajiyaHafsat Baba, promised to work with the Commissioner for Health and Human Services on the possibility of demandinga specific budget for sickle cell anemia patients in the state.
She appealed to young persons to ensure that they know their genotype before getting married. This she said wouldprevent having children with the disease.
The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health and Human Services, MalamShehu M. Usman,however urged the Bako Youth Development Foundationto channel their complaints properly and advised them to visit the Drug Management Agency to lay their complaint.
“Since the complaint was laid to the women ministry, we will wait for the ministry to alert us on the issues because it takes joint effort of the ministries of health, women affairs and the hospital involved for action to be taken. BarauDikko is a teaching hospital, so we will see how to come in an advisory manner and for the issue of discriminatory treatment from health workers, the patients should take note of whoever maltreats them and report appropriately,” he said.