Sabah health department has called for continuous efforts to identify and manage hemophilia patients in the state. Its deputy director (public health) Dr Asits Sanna said all parties need to work together to identify patients and carriers of the disease.
“Sabah, with a population of three million, has recorded around 90 hemophilia cases,” he said during the Hemophilia Society of Malaysia (HSM) Sabah chapter World Hemophilia Day 2023 celebration held at a restaurant here.According to the United States’ Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, hemophilia is usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery.
Dr Sanna stressed the need for patients to receive proper guidance on self-management, including self-infusion, ice therapy, safe physical exercise, weight management, and dental health. He applauded the Sabah chapter for successfully conducting an educational outreach programme on the disease at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan in 2018.
He encouraged similar initiatives to be organised in other towns to raise awareness about the disease. Dr Sanna expressed confidence that the health ministry and the Sabah Chapter’s partnership would continue to improve the quality of life of hemophilia patients in Sabah. – NST