Kenya urged to intensify hemophilia screening efforts to cut costs

NAIROBI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has been urged to intensify hemophilia screening efforts in order to reduce treatment costs, the patient lobby said on Wednesday.

Kibet Shikuku, the Chairman of the Kenya Hemophilia Association (KHA), told a media briefing in Nairobi that most people affected by the bleeding disorder are not aware they have the condition.

"As a result, most of the patients present themselves to health facilities after they have suffered consequences of frequent bleeding to the extent that they need more drugs to manage the condition as compared to if they sought early intervention," Shikuku said.

"We are therefore going to conduct an awareness campaign to ensure that all hemophiliacs are put under treatment in order to prolong their lives," Shikuku said.

He noted that the cost of managing the ailment is expensive as children affected by hemophilia need approximately 500 U.S. dollars per day for three days every week to contain the disease.

Shikuku said that currently approximately 650 patients has been diagnosed with the ailment out of an estimated 4,300 individuals based on Kenya's current population.

The chairman said that so far only 15 percent of potential patients are on medication. According to the ministry of health, hemophilia is a heredity condition that mostly affects males.

Shikuku said that up to 99 percent of all cases are inherited from parents with the rest being acquired.

KHA said that most of the patients in Kenya receive drugs donations for managing their conditions from the World Federation of Hemophilia.

He noted that this is not a sustainable situation so the government needs to intervene by providing medication to patients. Enditem