….. it’s action has relieved us financial, emotional burden– State Coordinator

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi

The Kebbi State Sickle Cell Association (KESCA) has commended the Kebbi State Contribution Healthcare Management Agency (KECHEMA) for given 300 slots for the members of the association to have access to free medical treatment.

Kebbi State Coordinator of KESCA,Hajia Khadija Yahaya Shantali stated this while speaking with newsmen shortly after the association monthly members forum in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.

She explained that,while they were grateful to the Executive Secretary of KECHEMA, they are also expecting that the sickle cell bill before the House of Assembly,which has passed the second reading,would be implemented, to solve financial and emotional burdens of their members.

According to her, “you all known that Sickle Cell patients are facing alot of challenges such as financial, economy and emotional burdens to the parents. With these 300 slots from KECHEMA,we are very grateful. The burden of 300 of our members, financially have be relieved and satisfied.

“It will help their parents too. Because,with these slots, if a child’s with sickle cell developed crisis,the parent would immediately take her or him to the hospital for treatment,not thinking about that there is no money for medical treatment. The hospital would collect the child’s card and all the bill will be passed over to the KECHEMA for settlement.

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“We are very grateful to the Executive Secretary of KECHEMA,Dr. Jafar Augie Muhammad for these slots”, she said.

Shantali explained that the association with about 2,882 members still need more assistance from eminent Nigerians, philanthropists,NGOs to come to the rescue of their members, stressed that,their contributions and interventions would go a long way to soothes the pains some of their members are going through in their respective homes.

Earlier,the guest speaker,Dr. Sadiq Ibrahim Maianu,Heamatologist at the Heamatology Unit, Federal Medical Center (FMC)Birnin Kebbi, counseled KESCA members to always seek treatment at the hospitals during their crisis and after.

He said,they should always complied with the advise prescribed for them by the Doctors at the hospitals,stressed that it would help them alot to survive as the ‘warriors ‘ battling sickle cell anaemia.

Another speaker at the occasion,Mallam Sadiq Abubakar Koko, urged the KESCA members not hide their crisis at homes,instead, they should visit hospital and always follow instructions given to them by the Health workers to avoid crisis.