A RESEARCH and training centre to be established at the country’s main public hospital will aim to develop modern treatments and medicines for sickle cell disease (SCD), a blood disorder that is extremely common in Bahrain.
According to experts, the centre to be set up at the Genetic Blood Diseases Centre in the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) will serve an estimated 27 million people in the region.
The soon-to-be operational facility will add value to the country’s healthcare sector, said Bahrain Society for SCD Patients Care chairman Zakareya Al Kadhem.
“We are proud of Bahrain’s progress in combating SCD, and our country is regarded as a ‘centre of excellence’ by neighbours such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon,” he told the GDN.
“Ten years ago, we were reaching out to other countries for assistance; now, we are proud to say that they are reaching out to us for assistance with restructuring treatment protocols, pain management, team building, and so on.
“Bahrain is also regarded as a global consultant in the field of experience sharing.
“The centre will contribute to this – in terms of knowledge sharing, expertise, train-the-trainer programmes, and research and development.”
Mr Al Kadhem noted that the pandemic had delayed the centre’s opening, which was supposed to be in late 2019 or early 2020.
It is the first project of the SMC’s new health management team.
“The establishment of the centre is consistent with the government’s vision of making Bahrain a recognised centre for developing sickle cell disease care.
“It contributes to the national goal of making Bahrain a regional centre accredited for training and increasing understanding of the disease’s challenges.
“It will help to accelerate the pace of research and drug development by participating in various clinical trials and forming partnerships with numerous pharmaceutical companies, which will greatly benefit the region’s 27m people living with sickle cell disease.”
There is no cure for SCD, an inherited condition that affects 8,664 Bahrainis (4,271 males and 4,393 females), according to official statistics.
The GDN reported in June last year that the life expectancy of SCD patients in Bahrain had risen from 42 to 65 years, with officials hoping it will soon reach 75.
Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Manama has donated furniture, essential operational equipment, and laptops to the facility as part of its mandate to improve the quality of services provided to SCD patients.
“We are delighted to collaborate with the Bahrain Society for SCD Patients Care and the Health Ministry in launching the Research and Training Centre that will help treat sickle cell patients in Bahrain,” club president Fareed Bader told the GDN.
“The centre aims to improve the efficiency of health workers in various cadres and provide health services for sickle cell disease patients, which is consistent with government directives that have made Bahrain a centre of excellence in providing care to sickle cell patients.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
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