Strengthening haemophilia care in Southern Thailand
“My name is Daniel and I’m 18 years old. I live in Songkhla, in the southern part of Thailand, and I have moderate haemophilia A. When I was 14, I learned how to self-infuse. Being able to take care of my own treatment changed my life. Before that, my mother would have to leave work and take me to the hospital to have the clotting factor administered.
Now I am inspired to help others living with haemophilia to gain confidence and achieve greater independence for themselves and their carers. I was happy to work as a volunteer with the doctors and nurses leading the self-infusion training at Songklanagarind Hospital and look forward to future workshops. I think it is easier to learn from someone who knows what it’s like. Ultimately, being able to self-infuse means less time spent in the hospital and more time doing things you love, like exercise, which helps prevent arthropathy.”
Thailand 2021 highlights
The two-year project led by NNHF partner Dr Natsaruth Songthawee, Medical Instructor, conducted in partnership with the hospital at the largest university in Thailand’s southern region, successfully completed several activities.
- Self-infusion workshop held at Songklanagarind Hospital for a limited group of 6 families in line with COVID-19 restrictions.
- Educational materials created including a personal book for people with haemophilia to record bleeding episodes and treatment received.
- Bleeding and thrombosis registry improved to enable data export in partnership with Prof Ampaiwan Chuansumrit from the International Hemophilia Training Centre, Bangkok, Dr Rungrote Natesirinilkul from the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University and the Thai Society of Hematology.
- Quality-of-life questionnaire translated into Thai language in partnership with SickKids Canada.
