The Imara Sickle Cell Framework
A validated roadmap — from a coalition of the willing to national scale.
Sickle cell disease is one of Africa's most significant — yet most neglected — public-health challenges. Imara turns that challenge into a plan: one integrated framework, built with governments and partners, that moves care from fragmented pilots to a coordinated continuum across whole health systems.
A coalition of the willing, aligned to one objective
To design a comprehensive, multi-dimensional and integrated framework for the management of sickle cell disease.
39 experts across three African countries, with the World Coalition on Sickle Cell Disease
A structured consensus convened five stakeholder groups to agree the priorities behind the framework.
The framework at a glance
10 activities across every level of care, plus the cross-cutting engagements that hold them together.
Community engagement, early disease identification and early linkage to care.
- 1Community awareness
- 2Newborn, early-infant & cascade screening
- 3Sustainable linkage to care
Strengthening capacity for routine care while ensuring the availability of diagnostics, medicines and blood with local, trained professionals.
- 4Routine medical management
- 5Laboratory & imaging diagnostics
- 6Safe & adequate blood components
Strengthening capacity to provide specialized and complex care, leveraging trained healthcare specialists.
- 7Complication management (acute & chronic care)
Information systems to maximize patient management and public-health assessment, healthcare financing and overall programme management.
- 8SCD data management system
- 9Healthcare financing
- 10Programme management
Three pioneering countries
Three Memoranda of Understanding have been signed — formalizing government commitment, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing a foundation for effective collaboration, scalability and long-term sustainability.
Four implementation geographies
Vertical implementation begins in four selected regions across the three countries.
Each figure is the selected region's share of the national population.
Conclusions
A validated roadmap
- 39 experts, multi-country alignment
- One integrated framework across all levels of care
Strong agreement on relevance and feasibility.
Coordination drives impact
- From fragmented initiatives to a coordinated continuum of care
- Built on existing health systems and Ministry of Health leadership
Impact comes from connection, not isolated interventions.
Now is the time to scale
- Countries committed — MoUs signed
- Implementation geographies identified
- Public-private partnerships unlock sustainable financing in a declining-aid context
Everything is in place to move from pilots to national scale.
The question is no longer “what to do” — but “how fast can we scale it?”
For more information on the Imara Sickle Cell Framework, please contact the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) at jcrc@jcrc.org.ug.