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Dr Vivian Paintsil expresses concern over lack of gov’t support for Hemophilia care in Ghana
Dr Vivian Painstil
A senior lecturer at the Department of Child Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Vivian Painstil, has expressed concern over the little commitment from government to provide the needed logistical support for hemophilia care in the country.
She explained that it had always been the World Hemophilia Federation that had been providing support for people living with hemophilia through their provision of drugs and diagnostic equipment.
For her, that needed to be addressed to provide good care support systems to patients with the condition.
Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that causes blood to take a long time to clot, a process needed to stop blood.
Speaking at a media roundtable on Thursday as part of the commemoration of this year’s World Hemophilia Day, slated for April 17, the engagement was targeted at creating more awareness on the condition.
It was organised by Pfizer a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation and a partner of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH).
Giving statistics she said, WFH working closely in partnership with hemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) in 29 African countries revealed that more than 38,000 people worldwide were living with hemophilia B in 2021 stressing the need to create more awareness on hemophilia [bleeding disorders] and its care mechanisms.
Dr Painstil who also doubles as a Paediatrician working at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) said People with hemophilia were at risk of excessive and recurrent bleeding from modest injuries, which have the potential to be life-threatening.
“The burden people living with hemophilia B face is significant, with many receiving routine infusions or injections which interfere with their ability to take part in day-to-day activities “she stated.
She, therefore called on the government to put in efforts by providing the needed logistical support for hemophilia care in the country.
She noted that, only the Teaching Hospitals, as well as some selected regional hospitals, provided care support for hemophilia patients in the country explaining that due to a lack of resources, including logistical and human resources at the district health facilities, people with the condition could not access care from such places and as such, had to travel to the Teaching or Regional hospitals to be seen.
She said currently, 309 patients had been registered by the Ghana Hemophilia Society, revealing that there were about 1500 cases yet to be diagnosed.
The Pfizer Medical Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Kodjo Soroh, for his part said, “Pfizer’s efforts at advancing treatment for hemophilia and bridging gaps in access to care resonates with this year’s theme of World Hemophilia Day’s (WHD) Access For All: Prevention of Bleeds.”
He said Pfizer’s commitment to equity and continued investment in hemophilia was 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.
He pledged the commitment of Pfizer to continue to raise awareness on the condition, saying “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.”
Professor of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the University of Lagos, Professor Akanmu said 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.”
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
