WHO resolution aims to address gaps in hemophilia care
Board notes women, girls face challenges accessing care
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The World Health Organization (WHO) executive board approved a resolution designed to improve access to diagnostic testing and treatment for people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.
The resolution calls on WHO member states to take actions to improve access to quality care for people with bleeding disorders. It notes the need to increase awareness of these diseases and calls on member states to build systems to better deliver diagnostic tests, treatment, and support to people living with them.
The proposed resolution says that bleeding disorders are underrecognized and undertreated. According to the WHO, only about a third of people who have hemophilia have been formally diagnosed with the disorder, and some other bleeding disorders are even less frequently recognized. Although the medical standard is that people with bleeding disorders should receive preventive treatments to control bleeds with on-demand therapies at home, that does not always happen. The resolution says that more than 70% of people with bleeding disorders “have inadequate or no access to treatment.”
The resolution notes that girls and women with bleeding disorders “face even greater challenges in accessing care,” due to factors ranging from poor awareness to societal stigmas.
The resolution on Global Action to Advance Health Equity for People with Hemophilia and Other Bleeding Disorders will be presented to the World Health Assembly for final adoption in May.
Detailed plan sought by 2028
Bleeding disorders broadly refer to conditions in which the blood cannot clot properly, leading to unusually easy or prolonged bleeding. Hemophilia includes several types of bleeding disorders marked by deficiencies in specific proteins that blood uses to clot.
The resolution calls for a detailed plan for WHO member states to be made by 2028. It also calls for regular reports on WHO efforts to address bleeding disorders. If approved, the resolution would also have the WHO recognize World Hemophilia Day, a global day of awareness observed each year on April 17.
The World Federation of Hemophilia, a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of people with bleeding disorders, applauded the WHO action.
“By adopting this resolution, the WHO and its Member States will recognize bleeding disorders as a priority,” taking a “critical step towards developing a coordinated global framework and concrete actions to address the health inequities affecting our community,” the federation said in a press release.
