By Tendai Guvamombe
Zimbabwe (News of The South) – On Wednesday June 19 the Minister of Health and Child Care Honorable Obadiah Moyo launched the Sickle Cell Anaemia Trust Zimbabwe at a local hotel in the Capital.
The newly found trust is the first ever initiative established in the country to deal with sickle cell anaemia, a deadly malady that is caused by a shortage of red blood cells and is contacted through generic transmission.
Speaking at the launch ceremony Molyn Chima founder of the Trust expressed her intrinsic motive in coming up with the initiative as she herself grew up a victim of sickle cell anaemia disease.
“Today I am a happy person standing before you today as we witness the launch of sickle cell anaemia disease, a deadly condition which traumatized all my school days when I suffered from discrimination to the extent of getting expelled from school but with the help and support of my dear parents I grew up to become a qualified nurse.”
“It is through this poor background that challenged my conscience to come up with this initiative with the view to help many other young girls and boys suffering from the same condition which mainly affects the newly borns.”
Delivering his key note address as the guest speaker,Minister of Health and Child Care Honorable Obadiah Moyo applauded Molyn Chima for championing a noble initiative saying the government is delighted to support the initiative through a number of health programmes which include establishment of rural health care centres among others.
“I would like to congratulate Molyn for taking this brave initiative which brings us today to the launch of sickle cell anaemia disease which resonates with the World Sickle Cell Anaemia Day, through my ministry and the government we shall support this initiative with various facilities under primary health care, this is to make sure that sickle cell anaemia is prevented through all ways.”
According to Dr Patience Kuona a University of Zimbabwe Lecturer attached at Parirenyatwa group of hospitals sickle cell anaemia is prevalence in African countries with recent research placing Nigeria at the apex accounting between 60-90 percent of children dying before the age of five annually.
“According to researches conducted so far sickle cell anaemia disease is prevalent in Africa with Nigeria being identified to be among the topping counties where it is alleged that between 60-90 percent of children below the age of five dying annually,In Zimbabwe we do not know as the need to conduct researches is overshadowed by attention given to other diseases.”
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