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Dr. Vivian Painstil, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Child Health of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and a Senior Specialist Paediatrician working at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has stressed the need to create more awareness on hemophilia in the country.

Speaking at a media engagement on Zoom Meeting on 13th April, 2023, Dr Painstil urged the government to provide quality healthcare support system to patients with the condition stressing “many people, including health workers did not have adequate knowledge on haemophilia which makes the situation alarming and worrisome”. 

According to her, bleeding disorders could easily lead to death; hence the need to take serious action against hemophilia.

“The burden people living with hemophilia B face is significant, with many receiving routine infusions or injections which can interfere with their ability to take part in day-to-day activities that many take for granted”, she stated.

She added that “currently, 309 patients have been registered by the Ghana Hemophilia Society even though there are over 1500 cases yet to be diagnosed”.

She also emphasized that it has always been the World Hemophilia Federation providing support for people living with hemophilia through their provision of drugs and diagnostic equipment. 

She appealed to the government to provide health facilities with adequate drugs and diagnostic equipment to enable them give comprehensive support for hemophilia patients.

To her, lack of adequate resources which include logistical and human resources at the district health facilities serves as a major barrier to people with the condition to access proper healthcare. 

She also expressed the concern of some socio-cultural practices such as witchcraft being a challenge for people living with such conditions and preventing them from seeking early medical intervention.

“Such people will prefer going to a spiritualist for help instead of hospital for proper diagnosis and care”, she said alarmingly.


Dr Painstil also expressed concerns that, due to poverty, many patients suffering from hemophilia are unable to access healthcare.

Kodjo Soroh, Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa - Pfizer, in his presentation, stated that Pfizer’s efforts at advancing treatment for hemophilia and bridging gaps in access to healthcare resonates with this year’s them; “World Hemophilia Day’s (WHD) Access For All: Prevention of Bleeds”.

He asserts 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.”

“…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”, he reiterated.

Prof. Akanmu Sulaimon, Professor of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the University of Lagos, also in his presentation, stated that “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”.

According to him, people with hemophilia are at risk at having 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.

According to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, more than 38000 people worldwide were living with hemophilia B in 2021.

WFH works closely in partnership with hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) in 29 African countries to share knowledge and build global awareness through information exchange, education and training. 

WFH also provides 24 million units of CFCs per year to patients in sub-saharan Africa through a humanitarian aid program. 

Pfizer is a visionary partner of the World Federation of Hemophilia for WHD.

Adam Cuker, Director of Penn Comprehensive and Hemophilia Thrombosis Program added; “The BENEGENE-2 data demonstrate the promise of this gene therapy candidate as a potential one-time option for people living with hemophilia B as a means of reducing the clinical and treatment burden over the long term.”

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