Patients with hemophilia at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are experiencing frustration and uncertainty due to an alleged shortage of essential medication.
The Ghana Hemophilia Society has attributed this shortage in medication to delays in import permit processing by the Food and Drugs Authority, which has hindered the delivery of donated drugs.
Due to this shortage, prophylaxis treatments have been suspended, leaving patients in need of surgery or urgent care vulnerable.
The shortage has also sparked anxiety and worry among parents of young patients with haemophilia who rely on timely access to medication to manage their condition effectively.
The Deputy Medical Director of KATH, Dr. Yaw Opare Larbi, has clarified that, although the hospital has sufficient medication for treatment, the low supply is limiting prophylaxis administration. He said the hospital is currently allocating its limited medication supply to treat patients with active bleeding, while routine preventive doses are temporarily on hold.
Dr. Larbi explained that the hospital is managing the stock to ensure it lasts until new shipments arrive. “The current situation is that the factors are in low supply. We have enough for treatment, but we are not doing prophylaxis. So what the parents are used to is two things, both prophylaxis and treatment. And now we are not given the prophylactic doses because we want the stock to be enough for people who come and who need treatment, who come with active bleeding”.
