... SCFN pushes Nigeria for early role in OneSCD rollout
Nigeria has asked to be considered as an early demonstration country for OneSCD, a new global partnership seeking to transform sickle cell disease, SCD, care, citing the country’s high disease burden, technical expertise and locally developed solutions.
The call was made by National Director and CEO of the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, SCFN, Dr Annette Akinsete, at the launch of OneSCD: A Global Partnership to Advance Equity and Transform Sickle Cell Care, during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, UNGA81, in New York.
Akinsete, who joined the Nigerian delegation at the invitation of the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said Nigeria should not be treated merely as a beneficiary of global interventions but as a co-creator of solutions that can be developed, tested and adapted to other settings.
“Nigeria brings far more to OneSCD than its disease burden. Nigeria brings experience, institutions, technical expertise, civil society, lived experience and solutions that have been developed in our own context. Nigeria therefore has both an opportunity and a responsibility to help demonstrate what country-led implementation of OneSCD can look like,” she said.
She urged global health partners to give high-burden countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, a stronger role in designing, adapting and implementing SCD interventions.
The call comes amid a huge global SCD burden. The World Health Organization estimates that 7.74 million people were living with SCD globally in 2021, with about 515,000 new births, while sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly 80 per cent of global cases.
Akinsete said Nigeria’s response must go beyond the numbers by linking prevention, early diagnosis, comprehensive care, research, advocacy and community engagement.
SCFN said its programmes have supported more than 32,000 Transcranial Doppler screenings, 259,000 haemoglobin investigations, 70,000 medication interventions, 3,500 prenatal diagnosis interventions and over 10,000 genetic counselling engagements.
Akinsete said the success of OneSCD should ultimately be measured by whether it closes gaps in access to quality care and improves survival and health outcomes in countries carrying the greatest burden.
“Where a child is born should not determine whether that child survives and thrives with sickle cell disease,” she said.
The OneSCD launch brought together governments, global health organisations, technical institutions, civil society and people living with SCD, with support from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, founding partners and champion governments.
For Nigeria, the initiative offers an opportunity to turn its experience and locally developed solutions into part of the global response to SCD.
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