Jinja Sickle Cell Patients Go Four Months Without Key Drug

[Da Dona]

Sickle cell patients at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital have gone about four months without hydroxyurea, a key medicine used to manage the disease, forcing some patients to buy the drug themselves or go without treatment.

Hydroxyurea helps reduce painful sickle cell crises and other complications by increasing levels of foetal haemoglobin in the blood.

The shortage was raised on Monday during a visit to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital by Parliament’s Health Committee, which was assessing the state of health services at the facility.

Dr Alfred Yayi, a Senior Executive Consultant at the hospital, said the sickle cell clinic at Nalufenya has about 1,500 registered patients, with up to 200 children attending on a busy clinic day.

He said the hospital had been without hydroxyurea for months despite the medicine being critical in managing sickle cell disease.
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“Hydroxyurea is a life-saving drug for our sickle cell clients,” Dr Yayi said.​

He added that the shortage had shifted the burden to patients, who must either purchase the medicine themselves or go without treatment.

Dr Yayi warned that patients who cannot afford the medicine risk a decline in their quality of life.

The hospital, he said, continues to engage National Medical Stores (NMS) over the supply of hydroxyurea.

Daily Monitor​