The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the WHO, and focuses on specific global health topics identified by the WHO’s Executive Board. The 77th WHA was held from May 27 to June 1 on the theme of “All for Health, Health for All.” In addition to attending the WHA, the WFH co-hosted two side events: “Advancing treatment and care for people with bleeding disorders globally” and “Access to novel therapies globally: opportunities and challenges”.
At the national level, Egypt has made significant strides in improving care for hemophilia patients. The WFH Path to Access to Care and Treatment (PACT) Program, has been instrumental in providing access to essential treatments across Egypt… The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, along with its affiliated authorities, remains dedicated to continuous collaboration with the WFH, the Egyptian Society of Hemophilia and other relevant stakeholders… The preventative [prophylactic] treatment approach by the Ministry last year contributed to reducing patient hospitalization from 60% to 5%; reducing the need for mobility aid in 60% of the cases, and reducing school absence rates from 90% to 21%, with 92% of patients living their daily lives normally.
—Hatem Amer, Associate Minister of Health & Population for International Relations, Ministry of Health & Population - Egypt
World Health Assembly sessions highlights
During Item 11.2, “Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases”, the WFH presented a statement bringing to the attention of the WHO, its members states and other international organizations, the inequities in access to diagnosis, treatment and care for people with inherited bleeding disorders (PWBDs), and stressing the importance of integrating bleeding disorders into non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage and primary care national plans. The statement further called for a member state-driven initiative to adopt a WHA resolution on hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. To read the statement by Cesar Garrido, click here.
Side event: “Access to novel therapies globally: opportunities and challenges”
This side event was co-hosted between the WFH and the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF), with the support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus. The meeting covered global inequities in access to therapies for bleeding disorders and thalassemia and innovative therapies. The event kicked off with welcome addresses from Androulla Eleftheriou, MD, Executive Director of TIF; Cesar Garrido, WFH President; H.E. Olympia Neocleous, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations and other International Organizations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva; and Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, MD, Director of Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO EURO. The participants also heard from Brian O’Mahony, Chief Executive of Irish Hemophilia Society and Androulla Eleftheriou, MD, who set the scene on disparities in access to treatment for bleeding disorders and thalassemia. Presenters were joined by other experts for an engaging multistakeholder panel discussion to identify ways forward to increase equitable access to therapies in these disease areas, including Maria Elisa Mancuso, MD, Senior Hematology Consultant, Center for Thrombosis and Hemorrhagic Diseases of IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital Milan; Ganescu Costin Radu, President of Asociatia Persoanelor cu Talasemie Majora; and Paolo Morgese, Vice President of Public Affairs, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine.
Side event: “Advancing treatment and care for people with bleeding disorders globally”
This event—which was co-hosted by the WFH and the Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt—covered the challenges related to managing hemophilia, von Willebrand disease (VWD) and other bleeding disorders. The event kicked off with opening addresses from Cesar Garrido, WFH President and H.E. Dr. Hatem Amer, Associate Minister of International Relations, Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt, followed by presentations from Brian O’Mahony and Maria Elisa Mancuso, MD, on the global landscape of inherited bleeding disorders. The event featured an enriching panel discussion focusing on strong partnerships that work towards sustainable solutions for PWBDs, increasing access to prophylactic treatment, providing comprehensive care as a gold standard of care, and sharing best practices globally. The event culminated with a call to action from Alain Baumann, WFH CEO, calling for a WHA resolution on hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
To find out more about the advocacy work the WFH does on behalf of the global inherited bleeding disorders community, please click here. To find out more about the WFH Path to Access to Care and Treatment (PACT) Program, click here.