Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
The Police Officers’ Wife Association, POWA has established a centre to offer free health services for the management of sickle cell patients in Imo State.
The wife of the state Police Commissioner and chairperson Imo POWA, Hajiya Habiba Ahmed Barde, commissioned the centre on Saturday in Owerri.
According to her the need to have a special sickle cell centre was to save the lives of the patients adding that “parents are going through difficulties, who have children with sickle cell.
Mrs Barde who said the initiative was borne out of her passion to offer succour to patients, appealed to the government at all levels and other concerned stakeholders to partner with efforts aimed at prioritizing the health needs of patients across the country.
“Coming from the angle of a parent with a sickle cell patient, there is no need to overemphasize the pain, emotional stress and financial inconvenience parents of people living with sickle cell disorder have to go through sometimes monthly and sometimes periodically.
“This hospital was renovated with a special ward for sickle cell patients. This hospital still needs attention and I pray this facility will be replicated across the country to help save the lives of this our special ones,” she said.
Adding her voice, National Coordinator of the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell, Aisha Edwards Maduagwu, said, “for some sickle cell carriers who suffer prolonged deposits episodes, quality healthcare services is the silver lining and hope for them from such agonizing moments.
“The serenity and ambience of the medical facility, the confidence and warmth exuding from doctors and other caregivers, meticulous treatments and monitoring, are all factors that necessitate the recovery rate of the average sickle cell patient.”
