Dr. Vivian Painstil, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Child Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has appealed to the government to resource district hospitals in the country to undertake diagnosis of Hemophilia cases and also provide healthcare for persons with such conditions.
According to her despite some improvement in the provision of healthcare for persons living with the condition, there still remains a huge gap in accessing healthcare for Hemophilia patients as only teaching hospitals and some regional hospitals in the country are able to diagnose cases.
The situation, she bemoans has culminated in a disappointing 397 cases of Hemophilia being diagnosed out of a suspected 1500 suspected cases.
Dr. Vivian Paintsil who is a Paediatrician at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is concerned that the figure which forms a paltry 27% of suspected cases is way below expectations and requires immediate intervention from the government.
Speaking at a media sensitization program organized by global pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer ahead of this year’s World Hemophilia Day observation on April 17, 2023, Dr Paintsil called on the media to use their platforms to advocate and promote issues of Hemophilia in order to stimulate government’s attention for patients.
“Due to a lack of resources, including logistical and human resources at the district health facilities, people with the condition could not access care from such places and as such, had to travel to the Teaching or Regional hospitals in order to be seen.
Dr Paintsil also called for the immediate inclusion of diagnosis and treatment of Hemophilia in the National Health Insurance Scheme package.
She reckons such move will improve access to affordable healthcare by persons with Hemophilia.
Kodjo Soroh, Pfizer’s medical director for Sub-Saharan Africa said “Pfizer’s efforts at advancing treatment for hemophilia and bridging gaps in access to care resonates with this year’s theme of World Hemophilia Day’s (WHD) Access For All: Prevention of Bleeds.
He noted further that “Pfizer’s commitment to equity and continued investment in hemophilia is evident in its more than 30 years of experience in developing therapies for hematological disorders as it has a deep understanding of the significant challenges that people living with hemophilia continually face.
Prof. Akanmu Sulaimon, Professor of Hematology and Blood Transfusion from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, provided further details about the disease and emphasized why it is imperative that governments and stakeholders in the sub-region deliberate on ways of improving support for patients.
“Hemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder that causes the blood to take a long time to clot because of a deficiency in one of several blood clotting factors, is almost exclusively found in males. People with hemophilia are at risk for excessive and recurrent bleeding from modest injuries, which have the potential to be life-threatening.
“People with severe hemophilia often bleed spontaneously into their muscles or joints, or rarely into other critical closed spaces such as the intracranial space, where bleeding can be fatal.”
About Hemophilia
According to the US Centre for Disease Control, Hemophilia is “usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery. Blood contains many proteins called clotting factors that can help to stop bleeding.
The roundtable meeting is another demonstration of Pfizer’s commitment to the promotion of awareness and support for persons with Hemophilia.
Source: ghanaweb.com
