Nigeria has urged global partners to strengthen efforts against sickle cell disease through better financing, diagnosis, treatment and country-led healthcare systems.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, spoke at the inauguration of OneSCD, a global partnership focused on improving equity and transforming sickle cell disease care on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Salako urged multilateral institutions, development partners, philanthropies, researchers and the private sector to invest in country-owned systems and expand proven interventions beyond pilot programmes.
He said the global response to SCD still faces major inequalities, structural barriers, fragmentation and years of limited attention.
Almost eight million people live with SCD globally, with more than 75 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, Salako said.
Nigeria carries the world’s largest burden of the disease, with an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 babies born with SCD in the country every year.
The government has made the disease a national priority within its child survival, maternal health, primary healthcare, non-communicable diseases and Universal Health Coverage programmes.
“This is why OneSCD matters; to provide a global mechanism that connects political leadership, technical expertise, lived experience and financing behind country-led action,” Salako said.
As a champion country, Nigeria plans to expand early diagnosis and comprehensive care across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
The country will also strengthen accountability through improved data, measurable targets and sustainable financing.
Salako said people living with SCD and their families must remain at the centre of policy development, programme design and evaluation.
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Nigeria also plans to share implementation lessons and advocate for stronger integration of SCD into global child health, maternal health, non-communicable disease and Universal Health Coverage programmes.
Nigeria has strengthened its national response through a programme led by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, a National Sickle Cell Disease Steering Committee and national guidance for disease control and clinical management.
Pilot programmes in Lagos, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory are testing newborn screening models through maternity, immunisation, paediatric and primary healthcare services.
The government has also established six centres of excellence equipped with high-performance liquid chromatography machines for specialised diagnosis.
Salako said Nigeria was improving access to affordable diagnostic services and medicines while strengthening supply chains, training healthcare workers and developing referral networks.
The country is also integrating SCD indicators into national health information systems and pursuing sustainable financing through health insurance, domestic resources and public-private partnerships.
The approach aims to reduce the financial burden on families caring for people with SCD.
“The launch of OneSCD is moving SCD from a neglected disease to the front burner,” Salako said.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond discussion and focus on implementation, accountability and measurable results.
The minister said coordinated action should ensure that a child’s place of birth does not determine whether they survive and thrive with SCD.
Nigeria, Uganda, India, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis inaugurated OneSCD alongside UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the World Coalition on SCD.
NAN
