Patient care: Unmet needs globally

Literature demonstrates that long survival and a good quality of life are achieved where the patients’ needs for holistic care are recognised and the appropriate services are offered. The once fatal diseases of childhood have become chronic conditions of adult life. [8, 9, 10]. TIF’s mission is to promote and assist in the implementation of national programmes for the treatment of thalassaemia and other haemoglobin disorders, wherever the patients may be residing, driven by the vision of equal access to quality healthcare for every patient [1]. The purpose of this paper is to report on preliminary results of a global TIF survey that sought to examine the inequalities, which patients experience in their management by services and professionals across the world, and identify some of the reasons contributing to such inequalities. Emphasis in this investigation is given to the services that are offered from the patients’ point of view. This work derives from, and is part of TIF’s ongoing relationship with its member associations, individual patients, as well as health professional and health authorities.