The Yobe Ministry of Health and two Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), on Tuesday in Damaturu,
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle hepatitis and sickle cell disease.
The CBOs are the Sickle Cell Disease Eradication Initiative (SICKDEI) and the Roadmap for Women and Youth Development (RAWYOD).
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Lawan Gana, signed on behalf of the Yobe Government, while Dr Aliyu Muhammad and Kachalla Mustapha signed for SICKDEI and ROWYOD respectively.
During the signing ceremony, the commissioner said that the MoU would strengthen control measures for hepatitis and sickle cell disease in the state.
He added that the ministry’s role under the MoU include the provision of technical guidance and oversight for implementation and giving ethical approvals for research involving human subjects.
Others, Gana said, are the development and review of policies on sickle cell and hepatitis and collaboration with critical stakeholders to raise awareness on the diseases.
He said the ministry would also monitor and evaluate the implementation of the MoU, as well as store and protect data generated in the course of the MoU implementation.
In his remarks, Muhammad, the SICKDEI Chief Executive Officer (CSO), said the organisation would support sickle cell patients with routine drugs, blood transfusion services, counselling and psychosocial support.
He said the group would also provide capacity building training and programmes for healthcare workers, community volunteers and patients on sickle cell disease management.
Muhammad said the organisation would organise blood drives, conduct outreach programmes to identify individuals with sickle cell and link them to healthcare services, among others.
Mustapha, the RAWYOD CEO, said the organisation would develop and implement awareness campaigns targeting women and youths on prevention and management of hepatitis.
He added that “we will establish support groups for women and youths living with hepatitis and sickle cell, and establish a referral system to link them with healthcare services and resources.”(NAN)
