Monday, 21st June 2021: Sickle Cell Hope Alive Foundation, (SCHAF) Awareness Rally and Interactive Education Talk, organised to mark the 2021 World Sickle Cell Day under the leadership of Professor Oluwatoyin Nwafor was flagged off by a family Physician and the Director of Community Programs of SCHAF, Dr. Taiwo Aderemi .

The campaign with the theme: “Shine the Light on Sickle Cell Disease” took off from University College Hospital (UCH) Main Gate to the Primary Healthcare Center (PHC), Idi- Ogun-gun in Gate via NTA road in Ibadan.

Speaking during the awareness campaign ahead of the 2021 World Sickle Cell Day scheduled for June 19th 2021, Dr Aderemi who coordinates SCHAF Community Outreaches and activities commended the government for her efforts in making provision for doctors to treat Sickle cell patients in tertiary and secondary government health institutions and comprehensive health centres.

‘SCHAF is using a preventive approach to educate the public and help those living with the Sickle cell disorder to reduce the burden of Sickle cell disease in Nigeria” he explained.

Dr Aderemi then adviced Nigerians not to play with their lives and future when thinking of marriage adding that they should always check their genotype, insisting that sickle cell disease is real.

“My advice to people is that Sickle cell is real and the burden of that disease especially on the affected family is real. The most fearful of that is when they are sick, the cost of treatment is high, Outcome of treatment that you cannot predict is still there, some of them may die early and those that are even living long, the pain of treatment is high. By the time people are aware of this, they should know that prevention is better than cure. If you are already in it, educate your children so as not to be involved.”