THE Regional Committee of Haemophiliacs and Willebrand of Martinique is hoping to partner with other Caribbean nations to create a regional association to sensitise their populations about blood diseases and enable all patients to have equal access to medication.
President of the committee, Béatrice Houdreville, acknowledges that forming an association linking the English and the French-speaking Caribbean will not be easy but she insists that the Caribbean nations need to work together for the benefit of persons with blood diseases.
“There are a lot of people who do not have access to treatment because it is very expensive and this is a problem throughout all Caribbean islands,” said Houdreville, who has devoted the last 21 years to her work with the Committee.
“If we form an association with links to other islands we will be able to discuss ways in which we can use our resources to get medication to people with blood disorders regardless of their colour, ethnicity or country of origin. A life is a life.”
The Regional Committee of Haemophiliacs and Willebrand of Martinique was established by Dr Serge Pierre Louis in 1985.
At that time the physician had observed that many people in the French department were diagnosed with blood diseases yet lacked proper care and management.
The purpose behind the creation of the committee was to group all patients with a deficiency in one or more coagulation factors and educate them on the disease, provide them with medical supervision through coordination with different teams and help them access social and medical benefits.
The committee is affiliated with the French Association of Haemophiliacs (Association Française des Hemophiles) through a membership agreement.
Two of the most common blood clotting diseases in the French department of Martinique are haemophilia and Willebrand’s disease.
Haemophilia is a rare blood disease where the blood does not clot in the typical way.
“There are three forms of haemophilia, mild, moderate and severe,” said Houdreville.
Haemophilia A is caused by a missing or defective factor 8 which is a clotting protein, it is manifested in approximately one in every 6,000 persons. In Haemophilia B, which affects one in 30,000 persons, people have less clotting factor 9. Willebrand’s disease is a common, inherited blood disorder where the blood does not clot properly.
This is caused by a defect in the synthesis and/or function of a protein which participates in blood clotting, explained Houdreville.
Given that blood disorders, including sickle cell anaemia, are so common in the Caribbean region, Houdreville said the creation of a regional organisation is an important step to sensitising Caribbean governments and populations about the need to get tested and have access to treatment.
