Stand Up to Support the Sickle cell community

STAND UP TO SUPPORT THE SICKLERS

If you have ever visited the sickle cell Clinic at the National
Referral hospital Mulago or you have a son, daughter, relative, and a
friend who is suffering from the painful chronicle “monster” called
sickle cell anemia you know what I am writing about.
According to the research done twenty five thousand children are born
every year with Sickle cell in Uganda. Of the 25,000 children 75% of
them die before celebrating their 5th birthday.
The children who suffer from sickle cell are discriminated and
stigmatized in Uganda. If a woman gives birth to a sickler some
husbands run away from them. Others the family members chase them away
thinking that they have brought a curse to the family. Some people are
still having primitive ideas that sickle cell is witchcraft this drive
them to traditional healers for cure and sometimes they end up
claiming the lives of the innocent children.
Children who have sickle cell some are denied a chance to go to
schools with a view that they can’t live longer and will die soon and
paying the school fees is wastage of money and resources. This belief
is not true because sickler can live to over 50 years if they are
given care. According to the Uganda Sickle cell Association the
longest living sickler known is Mzeei Blasio Wamala who is 79 years
old.
However those who get a chance to go to schools are discriminated by
their fellow students who think that they are worthless and of no
importance. This is not true because we are also important, for me who
writes to you this letter am a student at Makerere University Business
School Nakawa in my First year.
The government and NGOs have not done enough to support the sicklers;
it’s only the Sickle cell Association of Uganda under the leadership
of Ms. Ruth Nankanja Mukiibi that has helped. It is now constructing a
Sickle cell Centre at Kawanda that will house a clinic and offices. I
hope it will save the sickler from poor treatment.
It is a shaming to say that the only clinic in Mulago is housed in the
ply wood building. The clinic cannot do blood testing and the National
Referral hospital which has to be referred to also refer to Ebenezer
clinic for testing.
I appeal to the government to construct a ward at least at every
Regional referral hospital and equip it with the necessary materials
and a permanent medical doctor