The Mauritian World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) national member organization (NMO) successfully executed an outreach and identification campaign in the country which found 15 new patients and 35 hemophilia carriers. The Haemophilia Association of Mauritius (HAM) executed the campaign as part of the Twinning Program of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), which aims to improve hemophilia care in emerging countries through a formal, two-way partnership between two hemophilia organizations or treatment centres for a period of four years. Outreach and identification are critically important focus areas for the bleeding disorders community, and the theme of this year’s World Hemophilia Day.
The campaign in Mauritius was led by an outreach social worker who disseminated information about bleeding disorder symptoms in order to foster early detection; directly reached the concerned families in order to encourage them to seek professional support and join support groups; and created a favourable environment for patients in order to improve their access to care, and facilitate their integration into the community and the working environment.
The outreach social worker worked in collaboration with a hemophilia nurse at the Jawaharlall Nehru hospital. They conducted home visits, prepared family pedigree charts, counselled and referred patients and parents to other service providers such psychologists. Transportation was provided by the NMO for financially-challenged patients on prophylaxis who needed to get to the hospital.
Overall, the campaign was a success and has had a positive impact on the lives of the new bleeding disorders patients.
