Hanoi (VNA) - Some 6,000 people in Vietnam suffer from hemophilia, but more than 6ꦏ0 percent have yet to be examined for the disease, experts said at a press conference on April 15.

According to the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Director Nguyen Anh Tri, Vietnam has taken a big step forward in terms of care and treatment for hemophilia and patients with bleeding disorders. However, numerous challenges still remain as only 2,737 hemophilia patients have been detected and are undergoing treatment programme. “To date, there was no cure for the hereditary blood disorder. Hemophilia patients have to live with the disease due to their need for blood transfusions their entire life,” Tri said at a press conference on the occasion of the World Hemophilia Day, which falls on April 17. “However, with early diagnosis, proper treatment and self-care, most people with hemophilia can maintain an active, productive lifestyle,” Tri said. Many patients are unaware of hemophilia due to the lack of information and knowledge on the blood disorder. Most of the patients faced financial problems due to the costly treatment, while many of the drugs needed for treatment were not covered by health insurance, according to Tri. The Hemophilia Centre Director Nguyen Thi Mai said that Vietnam currently has only seven hospitals in the country that could provide treatment for patients with hemophilia. Some patients, who lived at a distance from the hospitals, were treated at their home or were put under a preventive treatment programme. Mai said that the centre will focus its activities on developing programmes on patient registration and treatment, integrating the treatment with other healthcare programmes and improving the quality of diagnosis, treatment and management programmes in the coming years. Hemophilia is a blood disorder that slows down the blood clotting process. People with this condition experience prolonged bleeding or oozing following an injury, surgery, or after having a tooth pulled out. Serious complications can result from bleeding into the joints, muscles, brain, or other internal organs. The Hemophilia Day 2016 aims to raise awareness about the disease and other inherited bleeding disorders in efforts to increase patient’s access to diagnoses and treatment.-VNA