Director of the Hemophilia Center of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai (Photo: kienthuc.net)

The conference coincides with the World Hemophilia Day. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which the blood does not clot normally, resulting in bleeding that can damage organs and tissues.

Director of the Hemophilia Center of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai said: “Vietnam has very few hospitals that can treat hemophilia. Patients living far from one of those hospitals are at risk of chronic pain, severe complications, even death if treatment comes too late. We have started a pilot program of treating 30 patients in their home and comparing them with patients treated in the hospital.”

The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion has worked with the Vietnam Association of Hematology over the past 6 years to identify new patients and individuals with the gene for hematologic disorders. They have identified 300 patients and hundreds of women with the gene.