Patients with hemophilia at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are facing significant difficulties due to an alleged medication shortage.
Hemophilia is a rare genetic disorder that impairs the blood’s ability to clot properly. This condition is typically inherited and is caused by a deficiency or absence of certain clotting factors, which are proteins in the blood that work together to stop bleeding.
The Ghana Hemophilia Society has linked this shortage to delays in processing import permits for donated drugs by the Food and Drugs Authority.
As a consequence, prophylaxis treatments have been halted, depleting the hospital’s stock and leaving patients needing surgery or urgent care in a precarious situation.
Parents of affected children have voiced their concerns about the shortage to Citi News.
In response, Dr. Yaw Opare Larbi, the Deputy Medical Director of KATH, stated that although the hospital has enough medication for immediate treatment, the limited supply is impacting the administration of prophylaxis.
The hospital is currently rationing available medications to prioritize those with active bleeding, with prophylactic treatments being temporarily suspended.
People with hemophilia may experience prolonged bleeding after an injury, surgery, or even spontaneously, especially in joints and muscles. The severity of hemophilia varies depending on how much of the clotting factor is missing.