Thousands of Yemeni children and adolescents suffer from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that causes anemia, fatigue, stunting, and even death. The disorder is manageable with blood transfusions and iron-chelating drugs, and patients who are treated can live normal lives. But the country's ongoing conflict has severely disrupted the supply of essential medicines for blood disorders, putting the health and lives of patients at risk.
“Without the medications, thousands of patients have been suffering from severe symptoms," said Dr. Adham Rashad Ismail Abdel-Moneim, WHO Representative to Yemen. "It has been an extreme hardship not only for the children but also for their families," he added.
In response to the crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in 2021 launched an emergency programme to fill the medications gap. Funded by the IsDB and working closely with the Yemen Society for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders (YSTH) and Yemen's Ministry of Public Health and Population, WHO procured and delivered 934,550 units of eight essential medications for patients with thalassemia and other genetic blood disorders.
The medications include life-saving deferasirox, which removes toxic levels of iron that accumulate with repeated blood transfusions. By relying on local procurement, WHO saved US$ 130,708 of the US$ 362,000 allocated for the programme, which was then used to procure hydroxyurea, an essential medicine for sickle-cell anemia patients.
"We are very pleased that this programme is helping to bridge the medications gap for Yemeni children and older patients with thalassemia and other genetic blood disorders," reiterated Dr. Ilker Ersegun Kayhan, IsDB Operations Team Leader for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries and Yemen. "These medications can mean the difference between life and death for these patients," he added.
The YSTH, Yemen's primary facility for the treatment of blood disorders, had distributed 197,752 packets and vials of the medications to 17,788 patients by December 2021, and is continuing to distribute the rest. Already, the IsDB-funded WHO programme has far exceeded its original expectations of providing life-saving medications to 4,549 patients.
"We extend our most sincere thanks to the Islamic Development Bank for their generous support," said YSTH Director Jameel Ali. "We are grateful for the continued support from WHO and hope that we continue to receive this life-saving support."
Story: Nancy Nusser/WHO Yemen.
Photos: Omar Nasr/WHO Yemen; Yemen Society for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders.