Towards achieving global haemophilia care--World Federation of Hemophilia programmes.

The overall purpose of the 'Decade Plan' published in 1992 was to do everything possible to make effective treatment available to people with haemophilia throughout the world. In 1990 it was estimated that there were 350,000 individuals with haemophilia worldwide, with 80% or 280,000 without treatment. By the year 2020 this may have reached the figure 440,000, or the population of Jerusalem. Earlier this century Carroll Birch reported a series of 113 patients where 82 died before their 15th year, and only six survived beyond 40. Thus as Jones has pointed out for the developing world this is a paediatric problem for the WFH to face now. The examples described in this paper illustrating the WFH programmes and the commitment of many people from the 88 member organisations worldwide as well as the doctors and scientists shows what can be done through cooperation. There is no doubt that these achievements are capitalising from the unique quality of WFH from the beginning, that is a membership which includes both those with haemophilia and their families, and those with an interest in treating haemophilia.