NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Two of The Bahamas Sickle Cell Association’s long-term appeals to the government—mandatory newborn sickle cell screening and the establishment of a national registry—could become a reality soon, according to Minister of Health Michael Darville.
“You are advocating for screening for everyone which is something that we can look at because we are expanding our packages with National Health Insurance Authority for our primary health care component,” he said.
“We need to get resources and we must take into consideration the screening for sickle cell, additional hematology, additional chemistry, and additional cancer screening.
“They are the things we want to get in because all of those are a part of a robust primary healthcare component to try to keep people out of the hospital.”
Darville’s remarks were made during a meeting with the BSCA’s executives and other high-ranking members of his team on October 6.
He cautioned, however, that the cost associated with additional screening could be a dealbreaker if the government finds it too exorbitant. The association assured him it was not.
Darville reportedly said he’s looking to repeal The Bahamas National Health Insurance Act 2016 due to its limitations.
It is expected that the Davis Administration will look to expand the basic healthcare package under a new NHI Bill 2022.
NHI aims to deliver “accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare for the benefit of all Bahamians.”
For The Bahamas Sickle Cell Association, whose goal is to educate and champion the rights of sicklers, robust screening is among its top four priorities.
“The importance of newborn sickle cell screening is to prevent babies from being vulnerable to infections and health complications by prompt diagnosis. It allows parents to seek proper medical attention for warriors from early, ultimately improving their quality of life,” said Kristin Beneby, BSCA’s president.
“I myself was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital. This test was not available for me. After repeated pain crises and hospital admissions, doctors began to look deeper into what was causing severe pain episodes. At the age of five, I was diagnosed with Hemoglobin SS, which is the most severe form of sickle cell disease.
“Had this test been available at birth, I am confident I would have been able to be treated promptly and adequately. The mandatory newborn screening will prepare Bahamians to take on this life-threatening disease,” Beneby said.
Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited health conditions that affect red blood cells, causing them to be unusually shaped and to clump together. These sickly red blood cells don’t live as long as healthy ones and can block blood vessels. A life-long condition more common among black people, sickle cell can restrict the flow of oxygen through the body. When that happens, it causes excruciating pain, which is known as a sickle cell crisis.
“We are now looking very closely at our Cancer Registry with the intent to expand it to incorporate some of the chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and sickle cell may be one of those we have to add to it as well,” Dr Darville noted.
“We need to know how many patients are in The Bahamas with sickle cell. We need to know the genetic makeup so that we can advise couples. It creates red flags if we know that you are on our registry and you have full-blown or you have a trait and we know your partner, then we know that we need to do a screening.”
Other NCDs Darville said he’d like to incorporate into the cancer registry include hypertensive and diabetic patients who are very ill and individuals with polycystic kidney disease. The health minister said in The Bahamas, there is a genetic predisposition to the latter, which runs in families much like sickle cell.
