Sickle Cell Disease
Equitable Care for People Living with Sickle Cell Disease: The PEN-Plus Model
Every day in Africa as many as one thousand children are born with sickle cell disease. Without access to treatment, half of them will die before their fifth birthday. This tragedy is as medically unnecessary as it is morally unconscionable.
To address this gap in care, the NCDI Poverty Network is working with 22 resource-poor countries around the world to implement PEN-Plus, a proven integrated-care delivery model for severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases such as sickle cell disease, type 1 diabetes, and childhood heart diseases. For those with sickle cell disease, for example, PEN-Plus clinics provide specialized care close to home; hydroxyurea, a medicine that makes red-blood cells less likely to sickle; and money for food and transportation.
“When my children are sick, there is nothing I can do but stay home and care for them. If they are sick and I cannot work, I can hardly find food for us. I am so thankful for the help we receive. PEN-Plus helps so much, especially with medicine and financial support. Without this treatment, I don’t think my children would be alive now.”
- Zoine Chiwaula, mother of Loyida and Fortune, both young teens living with sickle cell disease in Malawi
