On Tuesday, a bill seeking to make haemoglobin-genotye testing compulsory for intending couples passed the second reading.
Sponsored by Senator Ahmed Ogembe (PDP, Kogi Central), the bill will make the screening of couples compulsory before a marriage is conducted under the Marriage Act.
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So also, it will make it mandatory before registration of new births under the Birth, Death Compulsory Registration Act.
At the plenary, Senator Ogembe explained the objective of the bill saying it was to ensure effective management of sickle cell disease.
The bill according to the Senator became necessary due to high numbers of sicklers among Nigerians, and the pains and agonies people living with the disease go through.
He said, “Unknown to many, it is one of the biggest public health problems in Nigeria. Nigeria is known to have the greatest number of sickle cell disease in the world. This bill, when passed, will reduce the incidence of the disease to the barest minimum in our.
“Research has shown that only five per cent of children born with sickle cell disease live past the age of 10 years in Nigeria.”
