Abuja – The House of Representatives, on Thursday called on the Minister of Health to urgently look into the dilapidated Stem Cell Transplantation Centre in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) to resuscitate it.
The house also urged that steps should be taken to establish other such centres in all geo political zones in Nigeria.
This followed a motion under matters of urgent public importance by Hon. Philip Shaibu (APC-Edo), which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
Moving the motion, Shaibu said that Sickel cell disease was the most prevalent inherited disease in Nigeria.
According to him, it is estimated that three per cent of Nigerians have sickle cell disease and 25 per cent are carriers of the disease gene.
“Nigeria has the highest number of persons living with sickle cell disease in the world and the only cure for this debilitating disease is Stem Cell Transplantation.
He added that the medical procedure was also the cure for blood cancer, bone marrow failure and other malignant and non malignant disease.
He explained that in September 2011, with little resources and basic technique within approved standard required by WHO, a Nigerian doctor Prof Bazuaye Nosakhare and his team performed the first successful Stem cell transplantation.
“Recall that in 2012 WHO added Nigeria to the list of countries that can perform stem cell transplantation in the world.”
The lawmaker further expressed concern that there was only one functional Stem Cell Transplant Room built from Internally Generated Revenue by the UBTH.
He stated that since 2011 only three successful Stem Cell Transplantation had been performed.
The house therefore, called on the Federal Executive Council to see the urgent need to build an international Stem Cell Transplant Centre in Benin to serve over 5million Nigerians.
The house also called on the government at all levels to see the urgent need to subsidize the cost of transplantation in Nigeria to enable affordability.
The house also mandated the committee on Health Institution to look into the matter and report back to the house within four weeks.
