Dr Vivian Paintsil expresses concern over lack of gov’t support for Hemophilia care in Ghana

Dr Vivian Painstil

A senior lecturer at the Department of Child Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Vivian Painstil, has expressed concern over the little commitment from government to provide the needed logistical support for hemophilia care in the country.
She explained that it had always been the World Hemophilia Federation that had been providing support for people living with hemophilia through their provision of drugs and diagnostic equipment.
For her, that needed to be addressed to provide good care support systems to patients with the condition.
 Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that causes blood to take a long time to clot, a process needed to stop blood.
Speaking at a media roundtable on Thursday as part of the commemoration of this year’s World Hemophilia Day, slated for April 17, the engagement was targeted at creating more awareness on the condition.
It was organised by Pfizer a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation and a partner of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH).
Giving statistics she said, WFH working closely in partnership with hemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) in 29 African countries revealed that more than 38,000 people worldwide were living with hemophilia B in 2021 stressing the need to create more awareness on hemophilia [bleeding disorders] and its care mechanisms.
 Dr Painstil who also doubles as a Paediatrician working at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) said People with hemophilia were at risk of excessive and recurrent bleeding from modest injuries, which have the potential to be life-threatening.
“The burden people living with hemophilia B face is significant, with many receiving routine infusions or injections which interfere with their ability to take part in day-to-day activities “she stated.
She, therefore called on the government to put in efforts by providing the needed logistical support for hemophilia care in the country.
She noted that, only the Teaching Hospitals, as well as some selected regional hospitals, provided care support for hemophilia patients in the country explaining that 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 to be seen.
She said currently, 309 patients had been registered by the Ghana Hemophilia Society, revealing that there were about 1500 cases yet to be diagnosed.
The Pfizer Medical Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Kodjo Soroh, for his part 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 said Pfizer’s commitment to equity and continued investment in hemophilia was 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.
He pledged the commitment of Pfizer to continue to raise awareness on the condition, saying “We will continue to amplify and celebrate the work of the global hemophilia community as we create awareness on the need for innovation in access to hemophilia treatments.”
 Professor of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the University of Lagos, Professor Akanmu  said 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.”
 BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY