A leading German pharmaceutical company on Thursday pledged 13 million yuan (US$1.9 million) to help China build 40 haemophilia treatment centers in the next five years.

Bayer Schering Pharma. plans to set up the centers in 30 major cities and provide medical equipment and supplies, and educational materials for patients.

Ruan Changgeng, president of the Chinese Society of Hematology (CSH), said the project would make professional haemophilia treatment accessible in provincial cities and help Chinese patients receive more timely medical care.

The program included upgrading another seven treatment centers and training sessions for patients, doctors and nurses, said Ruan.

By comprehensively assessing the physical and psychological status of patients and providing self-care training, the centers could lower the risks of debilitating conditions and cut the death rate, he said.

Haemophilia is a hereditary genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to control blood clotting or coagulation. It appears almost solely in males and occurs in about one in 20,000 births.

China has around 100,000 hemophiliacs, approximately a quarter of the world's total, CSH statistics show.

Nearly 90 percent of haemophiliacs in China have difficulty receiving professional care as treatment centers are almost exclusively located in big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, and even major provincial hospitals cannot offer accurate diagnosis for the condition.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2008)