(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: In recognition of World Hemophilia Day, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in collaboration with the Friends of Hemophilia Society recently hosted a series of awareness and education events for HMC staff, as well as for hemophilia patients and their families.
This year, the theme for World Hemophilia Day is“Access for All: Prevention of bleeds as the global standard of care.” World Hemophilia Day provides an ideal opportunity to educate patients and healthcare professionals about the condition, which is an important part of building community support for individuals living with bleeding disorders.
The awareness events for healthcare staff took place at HMC's Hajar Auditorium at the Medical Education Center on May 24, while additional events were held at Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha on May 26 and targeted hemophilia patients and their families.
Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Abdelbari, Clinical Pharmacist at Hamad General Hospital, said the event at Hajar Auditorium was held in the presence of Dr. Usama Al Homsi, Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology and Deputy Medical Director for Clinical Research, Education and Quality at HMC's National Center for Cancer Care and Research; Cesar Garrido, President of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH); and Rana Saifi, WFH Regional Manager for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The event also gathered a number of local and international experts who delivered lectures on hemophilia, including Dr. Miguel Escobar, Professor at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth); Dr. Haroon Mann, Consultant Trauma and Orthopedic Surgeon from London; Dr. Laim Ferrnough; Dr. Hasan Abu Hejleh; and Mr. Mohamed Rafique. Also in attendance were a number of physicians and surgeons from HMC's Departments of Surgery, Orthopedics, Hematology, and Intensive Care, as well as pharmacists from Hamad General Hospital.
Dr. Abdelbari said the lectures focused on strategies to safely perform surgeries on patients with blood disorders. He noted that Qatar's health system offers state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and equipment, as well as highly experienced care teams, both of which are essential for better health outcomes for patients with hemophilia.
“Hemophilia can greatly affect the quality of life of patients and their families. Males are generally more likely to have hemophilia than females. Hemophilia is often linked to genes inherited from the mother, a genetic mutation, pregnancy, or malignant diseases such as cancer,” said Dr. Abdelbari.
He also highlighted the importance of the lectures that were delivered on the second day of the events and mainly targeted people with hemophilia and their families. The lectures offered health tips and medical information on hemophilia, including its causes, symptoms and complications, diagnosis, and methods of prevention and treatment.
Hemophilia is a rare genetic disorder that results from the deficiency or absence of one of the clotting factors in the blood (proteins).
This can cause bleeding for a longer time than normal following injury. For example, if a healthy person who does not have hemophilia sustains injuries, the body will collect blood cells to form a clot that stops bleeding by sealing off damaged blood vessels and preventing excessive blood loss, while people with hemophilia have a deficiency or absence of one of the clotting factors, which leads to a heavier or longer bleeding.