Editorial
Make sickle cell treatment affordable and accessible
People with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder, endure unhappy lives due to its numerous problems, yet, they can manage their illness and lead happy lives if they receive regular medical care and have access to medications.
Unfortunately, advanced treatments for SCD are very expensive, and therapies that can cure the disease are still out of reach.
Sickle cell disease is a dangerous genetic condition as red blood cells with the shape of a sickle block blood flow, causing severe pain, organ damage, life-threatening illnesses, and possibly early death.
The disease causes severe complications including chronic pain, anaemia, infections, acute chest syndrome, strokes and organ damage, often leading to shortened life expectancy.
Globally, around 1,000 babies are born with the condition daily, with three-quarters in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana SCD, affects about three in every 100 newborns.
It was against this backdrop that health experts have urged Ghana to prioritise affordable and accessible treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) to enable patients benefit from gene therapy which has been developed in recent years, as a potential cure.
According to Dr. Lawrence Osei-Tutu, a Sickle Cell and Childhood Cancer Expert at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, “the country must focus on practical, lower-cost interventions such as hydroxyurea, a decade-old cancer drug proven to reduce painful episodes, hospitalisation and life-threatening complications in SCD patients.”
He said that the medicine, that is swallowed, makes red blood cells work better and is thought to be safe and successful.
“Hydroxyurea therapy is as good as the cure and a low-hanging fruit to pluck, we must bring a cure to our sickle cell warriors, but do so sustainably,” he urged.
The expert noted that despite its benefits, “hydroxyurea is not widely accessible in Ghana” stressing that, “many patients either cannot afford it or struggle with irregular supply through the health system.”
The Spectator supports the expert’s argument that expanding access will offer short-term respite as the nation develops the necessary infrastructure, educates experts, and obtains the funds to support curative treatments in the future.
With an estimated 15,000 babies born with sickle cell disease each year in Ghana, Dr. Osei Tutu issued a warning, pointing out that “failure to improve access to effective treatment will leave many patients vulnerable to preventable complications and early death.”
In light of this, the Spectator suggests that people obtain genetic testing in order to determine their carrier status.
A genetic counsellor can also explain the inheritance concerns and go over ways to keep their children from inheriting the illness if both partners are carriers.
To prevent passing on sickle cell disease, couples who are at risk of having a child with the condition can decide to adopt a child or live child-free.
Churches should require that prospective partners know their current status in order to decide whether or not to continue their relationship.
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Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
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