No Sickle Cell Screening, No Wedding – Anambra Gov Tells Intending Couples

Obino conveyed the warning in a statement made by his commissioner for health, Dr. Joe Akabuike at a ceremony on Saturday to mark this year’s sickle cell day in Awka, the state capital.

Obiano, who said violators would be punished and denied certain privileges from the state government, added that his government would partner churches in the state to enforce the order.

While noting that the order was part of his administration’s determination to eradicate sickle cell disease, Obiano said the Sickle Cell law passed by the State House of Assembly will be implemented in 2002.

He said, “Involving the churches would ensure strict compliance to the law. The state government would set up sickle cell clinics in the three senatorial districts of the state with state-of-the-art facilities and people living with sickle cell disorder in the state would be treated free of-charge under a Health Insurance Scheme that would be launched in the state.

“In the Health Insurance Scheme, there is also a provision for treating people free of-charge, the vulnerable, including people living with sickle cell disorder as our main target is to eradicate sickle cell anemia completely in this state and that is why we are urging everybody to know his/her genotype,” the governor added.