Zanzibar strengthens care for blood disorders

ZANZIBAR: THE Zanzibar Ministry of Health, in collaboration with various partners, is strengthening services for patients with inherited blood disorders, including haemophilia and sickle cell disease. The initiative seeks to improve the quality of healthcare and ensure patients have timely access to essential services.

The collaboration involves Novo Nordisk, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Muhimbili National Hospital. Representatives from the institutions visited Ijitimai District Hospital, which operates a clinic for patients with the conditions, before holding a meeting at the Mombasa Health Office.

Speaking during the meeting, Director General of the Zanzibar Ministry of Health Dr Maryam Seif Hemed said partners had made significant contributions towards improving services for patients.

She said the support included training healthcare professionals, providing medical equipment, supporting clinic operations and assisting in developing plans to strengthen services. Dr Hemed said the ministry intended to further strengthen the partnership by expanding services for inherited blood disorders to reach more patients in Unguja and Pemba. She said the government would also increase the capacity of healthcare professionals and ensure the availability of essential services.

“The main objective is to ensure that patients and affected families receive timely diagnosis, treatment and professional counselling,” she said.

Dr Hemed said the measures would help reduce the effects of the diseases and enable patients to live healthier and better-quality lives. Chairman of the Tanzania Sickle Cell Disease Stakeholders Network, Dr Elisha Osati, said the delegation had visited Zanzibar to assess services currently available to patients and determine how partners could continue supporting improvements in care.

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He said the assessment would help strengthen services at hospitals in Unguja and Pemba and contribute to broader efforts to improve care for sickle cell disease and other blood disorders in Tanzania and across Africa. Dr Kubet Shikuku, a member of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia and Haemoglobinopathies Council, said the organisation had supported patients with inherited blood disorders in mainland Tanzania for many years.

He said the programme had established about 19 clinics since its launch, including the clinic at Ijitimai Hospital in Zanzibar. Dr Shikuku said efforts were continuing to strengthen services for sickle cell patients, who make up a significant proportion of people affected by inherited blood disorders.

He stressed the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in reducing the impact of the diseases and urged parents and guardians to take children for early screening so that conditions could be identified and appropriate treatment provided.

Specialist physician in blood disorders at Ijitimai Hospital, Mohamed Said Suleiman, said the visit was important in assessing services provided to patients, including the availability of medicines and other essential requirements. He thanked the government for facilitating the services, saying the clinic had made significant progress in providing care to patients with blood disorders.

Mr Suleiman said the clinic currently serves more than 2,000 patients living with sickle cell disease, in addition to 45 haemophilia patients. Of the haemophilia patients, 31 come from Pemba and 14 from Unguja, and all continue to receive treatment and professional medical follow-up.