IMPACT CREATED ! Lira Hospital Receives 200,000 Hydroxyurea Doses To Boost Fight Against Sickle Cell Disease

IMPACT CREATED ! Lira Hospital Receives 200,000 Hydroxyurea Doses as Uganda Strengthens Fight Against Sickle Cell Disease

By Ambrose Ogwang

Lira, Uganda – Uganda’s Ministry of Health has launched a national initiative to enhance the prevention and management of sickle cell disease. As part of this effort, Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH) has received 200,000 doses of hydroxyurea to improve treatment access and patient care.

The donation was made by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, in partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Uganda. The initiative was coordinated by Dr. Angella Mirembe Nanteza, Project Coordinator of the SCALE Programme.

The official launch took place on Tuesday, October 14, at Lira Mayor’s Garden and was attended by health experts, cultural leaders, and government officials.

Dr. Andrew Odur, Director of LRRH, highlighted the hospital’s efforts in sickle cell screening, noting that in the past month, they screened 7,500 students across 12 out of 22 learning institutions in the Lango Subregion. Currently, the hospital manages around 1,500 sickle cell patients, with approximately 70% (about 900) on hydroxyurea treatment.

Dr. Odur expressed concern over the potential rise in sickle cell cases due to expanded testing and urged community and religious leaders to promote routine screening alongside HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B testing.

During the event, Shaikh Ibrahim Okello, Interim District Khadi of the Lango Muslim Supreme Council, shared a personal story of tragedy, revealing he lost ten children from two marriages to sickle cell disease. He appealed for a steady supply of hydroxyurea, lamenting that the high cost of treatment had left him financially devastated.

Ruth Nakanja Mukiibi, Executive Director of the Sickle Cell Association Uganda, called for increased community awareness and improved access to testing services at lower-level health facilities. Sharing her own experience as a mother of three—one with sickle cell, one carrier, and one unaffected—she urged the government and stakeholders to strengthen community-based prevention programs.

Lira City Deputy Mayor, Her Worship Rebecca Alwedo Ogole, attributed the rising sickle cell prevalence to intermarriages among closely related clans. She emphasized that combating the disease requires a collective community effort, not just the work of health workers.

Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, stated that Uganda ranks among the top five countries globally most affected by sickle cell disease, with an estimated 20,000 children born with it annually. He noted that locally manufactured testing kits would improve early diagnosis and expand access across health facilities.

Lira City Resident Commissioner Lawrence Egole praised Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero for her leadership in the national fight against sickle cell disease and urged the public to utilize available services at LRRH.

Representing the Lango Paramount Chief, Clan Chief Geoffrey Ocen Abia—who also serves as the State Minister for Health at the Lango Cultural Institution—called on the Ministry of Health to involve cultural leaders in mobilization efforts. He pledged to propose a cabinet initiative to make sickle cell testing mandatory before marriage.

In her keynote address, Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero described sickle cell disease as "a painful, financially draining condition that affects all tribes, religions, and ethnicities." She commended President Yoweri Museveni for his support of nationwide surveys and interventions.

Dr. Aceng highlighted that the regions of Buganda, Acholi, and Lango remain the most affected. Since 2023, the Ministry has been running a comprehensive treatment and screening program at LRRH, which will now be expanded to other health facilities to bring services closer to communities.

She announced the establishment of four new programs at LRRH: a Sickle Cell Wellness Clinic, a Sepsis Management Unit, and a multi-sectoral task force involving cultural leaders, persons with disabilities, and legal experts. This team will develop a national law mandating pre-marital sickle cell testing.

Dr. Aceng also noted that LRRH handles about 40 deliveries