Dr. Alan Anderson, MD of Pediatrics, Greenville, SC and Dr. Stephen Martin, MD of Pediatrics, Greenville, SC had the opportunity to travel to Mali and Togo with GPiH this past month. Dr. Anderson, Dr. Martin, and GPiH have been instrumental in educating, developing testing and developing treatment plans in local communities in Mali, Africa for Sickle Cell Disease the last 7 years. Since the treatment program has been established the team has seen improvements in children and adults.
This past trip the team delivered over 4,000 brand new test kits to Mali so they could have earlier more accurate testing to speed up the process of administering preventive medicines. The new test is affordable at $1.40 per test, quick, safe and user friendly in any environment giving all families hope over the disease.
The team also had the chance to travel to Togo, West Africa and we took time to visit with Dr. Anderson to learn more about his experience and the goals he sees with bring this program to Togo.
Figure Above – Sickle Cell Testing Wait Times
What is your goal in Togo, Africa with battling Sickle Cell Disease?
Our goal is to establish a Sickle Cell Disease program like the Mali, Africa program. It should be a program that Togo leadership can develop and use in their country without the long-term assistance of a different country similar to what is already established in Mali.
What did you accomplish while in Togo?
The group met with the local governments to educate them on battling Sickle Cell Disease. They discussed the program that has been established in Mali and how these or similar programs could bring hope to their people.
What is one thing you would like people to know about working with GPiH?
Dr. Anderson told us, “one of the main reasons why I love GPiH is the ability to give these people real sustainable hope, where people not only get the help they need in products but also in knowledge so they can work with their governments and medical professionals going forward.”
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