A bill that makes it compulsory for intending couples to subject themselves to a blood test and know their genotype before getting married has scaled second reading in the Senate.
The proposed law entitled: A bill for an Act to provide for the prevention, control, and management of Sickle cell Anemia seeks to reduce preventable deaths associated with the disease.
The Sickle Cell Bill was sponsored by Senator Sam Egwu representing Ebonyi North.
Sickle Cell Anemia is widely considered as the disease of the ” the black race; even though a lot of studies have been done to provide cure and effectively manage the genetic disease.
In Nigeria, only about 5% of Sickle Cell patients live beyond the age of 10.
The Bill provides the Minister of Health with powers to certify various organisations in the prevention and control of Sickle Cell.
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The Bill, which was first introduced in the 8th Senate, enjoyed overwhelming support from lawmakers pointing out that Nigeria will need to channel a lot of resources on advocacy to encourage intending couples to always know their status before getting married.
The Sickle Cell Bill, which subsequently scaled second reading, was referred to the Senate Committee on Health for further legislative action.
The Committee has four weeks to complete the assignment and revert back to the Senate.
