Leke Baiyewu, Abuja

The House of
Representatives has okayed compulsory genotype tests for intending
couples as part of measures to prevent sickle cell disease.

The
House charged government registries, churches and mosques with demanding
the tests before joining persons as husband and wife.

This is
part of the resolutions passed by the lawmakers at the plenary on
Thursday when they unanimously adopted a motion moved by Mr Umar Sarki,
titled ‘Call on the Federal Ministry of Health to develop an efficient
system for management of sickle cell disease in Nigeria.’

Adopting
the motion, the House called on the Federal Ministry of Health to
introduce free and compulsory new-born screening programme, which will
include screening for sickle cell disease in all hospitals in Nigeria.

The
House also called on the ministry to provide free treatment and
counselling service to patients with sickle cell disease, while asking
it to “sensitise religious institutions and the judiciary to include
results of genotype tests as one of the conditions for marriage.”

They
also urged the Federal Ministry of Education to include sickle cell
education in science subjects in all primary and secondary schools,
while mandating the House committees on Health Care Services,
Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, and Basic
Education and Services to ensure implementation of the resolutions.

Moving
the motion, Sarki said, “Archaeological and genetic findings have shown
that sickle cell disease has been with Africans for the last 12,000
years, yet not much has been done in the continent to manage the
scourge.

“Data from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
has shown that Nigeria has the largest population of people with sickle
cell disease in the world, with about 3.6 million patients and 150,000
babies out of the estimated 300,000 babies born into the world with the
disease every year.

Meanwhile, the House has called for the rehabilitation of the primary health care centres across Nigeria.

The
call followed the adoption of a motion moved by Mr Taofeek Ajilesoro,
titled ‘Rehabilitation of primary health care centres across the 36
states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory for effective
health care service delivery.’

Adopting the motion, the House
urged the Federal Ministry of Health to commence the rehabilitation and
equipping of primary health care centres across the 36 states of the
federation and the FCT for effective health care delivery.

On
Thursday also, the house approved the virement of N100m meant for
personnel cost of the National Assembly Service Commission to capital
and overhead costs.

The approval at the plenary followed the
adoption of a motion moved by a member, Mr Sani Bala, who said the
personnel for which the money was appropriated had not been engaged.

Bala’s
motion was titled ‘Need to vire the sum of N100,000,000 from the
National Assembly Service Commission’s personnel vote to capital and
overhead cost.

The lawmaker prayed the House to vire the sum of
N100m “to enable the commission utilise the fund appropriately,” a
prayer that was unanimously granted.

Bala said, “The House notes
that in 2019, the NASC budgeted the sum of N100m for its personnel cost
for the payment of salaries and allowances of the expected new members
of the commission.

“The expected new members have not been
appointed and are not likely to resume before January 2020, thereby
leaving the sum of N100m as the commission’s personnel cost may not be
utilised by the end of December, 2019.

“It is mandatory for all
ministries, departments and agencies to return all their unspent
personnel cost to the Treasury Single Account by the end of December,
2019.

“The commission is in dire need of funds, as most of its
furniture and sundry office equipment are in poor condition as they were
purchased over 10 years ago.”’

Source:- Punchng