The Sickle Cell Hope Alive Foundation (SCHAF), and its Founder, Professor Professor Adeyinka Falusi have been applauded for the giant strides and the tremendous efforts on ensuring a better life and welfare of patients of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, Ogun State, Professor Peace Babalola gave the commendation in her Keynote Address at the recently held 2024 World Sickle Cell Day marked by SCHAF in conjunction with the Adeseun Ogundoyin Family on Wednesday 19th June 2024 at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Identifying a list of individuals who have survived SCD and have accomplished great feats in life, Babalola laid emphasis on the Ogundoyin family for establishing the Sickle Cell Hope Alive Foundation in 2012.
Commending the efforts of the NGO and the Founder, Prof. Falusi whom she described as her mentor, she said “I am here today, standing here because of her. She is my own legend with respect to Sickle Cell and Disease Anaemia. Since that I have researched it and do all sort with Sickle Cell. I have done research and have publications. I follow her everywhere she goes. So, no matter how busy I am, if she calls, I struggled to make it.”
She disclosed that the organisation has intervened in current challenges while working on its four strategic plans which are to, drive awareness, provide care, conduct collaborative research, and develop partner network.
Babalola explained that “as pharmacists we have had to meet companies to donate drugs and we go around giving free drugs to the people and I am glad that I am hearing Fidson and so on today. I am very happy that you are here. So, we go around, creating a lot of awareness. Those four cardinal points are being fulfilled and attended to by our staff. Over 1500 free genotype test.”
“A new point of care, we have established 12 clubs, we call it KYG clubs that is, ‘Know Your Genotype’ clubs, we planned to have programmes in 774 in Nigeria, that is our plan. Every June 19, we do something. In the same way, we have carried out research, and we have done a lot of community efforts.”
She noted that with ongoing research, there are emerging new therapies and drugs which reduce the crises of the disease but are very expensive, stating that the worry about Nigeria is the huge amount of people living with the disease in the face of the expensive drugs.
Highlighting the many efforts of SCHAF, the Chrisland VC explained that the many programmes and initiatives of the foundation have made tangible differences, adding that “as we reflect on the progress, let us recognize more work that needs to be done.”
“Each of us has a role to play and together, we can build a future where we can no one suffers. Let us commit to community advocacy, enhanced health care, increased education, to ensure every single sickle cell person can live fulfilling a healthy life.”
