People living with sickle cell disease in the Western Region have called on the government to address inadequacies in the sector that contribute to high prevalence.
They are demanding that the government both national and counties put up sickle cell support clinics in all government health facilities in high prevalence regions especially Nyanza, Western and coastal counties.
They want the disease to be considered a national problem and provide free medicines for the management of the disease.
The medicines required are Hydroxyurea, folic acid, PEN V, and Paludrin.
Also, the supply of consumables like SCD genes rapid testing kits and hemocoel machines used in tracking HB levels in people living with SCD.
According to Jessica Sharon, this is what will help them is the provision of free drugs because sometimes some of them only lack such drugs.
She noted that the drugs despite being subsidized to Sh 40, not many people are able to afford them.
"We demand that the government makes these drugs available for the sickles for free the way drugs are available for people living with HIV and those with cancer," Sharon added.
During a briefing in Kisumu by the Tumaini Sickle Cell Organization, they also demanded that the government provide oxygen cylinders in all health facilities with sickle cell support clinics set up.
"Most of the time we go to the hospital, some people die because of lack of oxygen, so availability of this in hospitals will reduce the cases of crisis."
Navile Guda said Oxygen is the first line of Sickle management.
"In any case, we have a crisis, the first thing we are supposed to be done to is put on oxygen and some of the facilities dont have oxygen cylinders or enough oxygen."
He said the government should conduct pieces of training for a section of health workers to specialize in the management of sickle cell disease because this will help enhance response time.
Guda also noted that there is a need to cushion adult professionals living with SCD from being discriminated against stigmatization and harassed in the workplace.
Michelle Omulo, a sickle cell warrior, however, called for enactment of a law making it compulsory for all insurance companies underwriting health insurance to remove capping limits that only allow for a small percentage of the sum insured bought to be undertaken when one gets hospitalized.
Omulo said it was important that insurance companies remove the one-year waiting period for congenital disorders.
She also called upon the government to provide a friendly environment for children living with SCD in schools and introduce infirmary services within the schools that can take care of children living with SCD.