BOSTON, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare announced today the recipients of the 2009 World Federation of Hemophilia’s International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship. This Bayer-supported initiative provides hemophilia education and training to nurses in developing countries - areas where hemophilia-trained healthcare professionals are in short supply. Three recipients were selected out of a pool of 59 applications from eight countries.
“Worldwide, about 70 percent of people with hemophilia go undiagnosed, and 75 percent do not receive adequate treatment, the majority of whom live in developing countries,” said Mark Skinner, president, World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). “Providing nursing professionals from these areas with the necessary training and tools to recognize and treat hemophilia is critical to improving the lives of thousands of people living with the disorder. We appreciate the support Bayer has provided to this program to make it a success.”
This year’s fellowship winners are:
The winners will travel to their assigned WFH-designated International Hemophilia Training Center (IHTC) to be paired with a certified hemophilia nurse for four to eight weeks of clinical and laboratory training. Seventeen nursing professionals have received this award since the program’s inception in 2005, bringing much-needed skills and training to their communities and serving as a vital resource for thousands of hemophilia patients and their families.
“It is a great privilege to be one of the nurses selected for this prestigious fellowship,” said Dayang Sumarni Binti Abd Aziz, nursing fellowship award winner from Malaysia. “The program will not only allow me to learn the skills necessary to help my patients with hemophilia, but the knowledge that I’m making a difference for future generations of my beloved country.”
“We would like to congratulate this year’s fellowship recipients, and thank them for their passion and dedication to improving the standard of care for hemophilia patients around the world,” said Michael E. Mathews, vice president and therapeutic area head, Hematology, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. “These fellowships provide a remarkable opportunity for recipients to receive the training necessary to help people with hemophilia within their communities.”
Bayer HealthCare serves as the exclusive sponsor of the WFH initiative, further demonstrating its leadership and commitment to support improving the quality of care for all people living with hemophilia. In addition, the company has shown its dedication to the global hemophilia community in many additional ways, including: donating product, both directly and through the WFH, to address humanitarian needs; funding hemophilia research and education through the Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program; and supporting leadership training programs -- such as Step Up Reach Out and the National Youth Leadership Institute -- to help develop the next generation of advocates within the bleeding disorders community.
About the International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship Program
Through Bayer’s exclusive support, the International Hemophilia Nursing Fellowship Program supports three to four nurses annually to travel to one of the 31 WFH-designated International Hemophilia Training Centers (IHTCs). There, they are paired with a hemophilia nurse to receive clinical and laboratory training. Since the fellowship’s inception in 2005, award recipients have trained at facilities across the globe, from Spain and Thailand to Australia and Argentina. For more information visit: www.wfh.org.
About Hemophilia A
Hemophilia A, also known as factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia, is largely an inherited bleeding disorder in which one of the proteins needed to form blood clots in the body is missing or reduced. Hemophilia A is the most common type of hemophilia and is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. Approximately 400,000 people around the world have hemophilia A.
About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals unit of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation. One of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, Bayer HealthCare combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. In the U.S., Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals comprises the following business units: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Specialty Medicine and Women’s Healthcare. The company’s aim is to provide products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.
Forward-looking statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our annual and interim reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
USA-BHC-2009-0341
SOURCE Bayer HealthCare
CONTACT: Sreejit Mohan of Bayer HealthCare, +1-510-705-5477
Web site: http://www.wfh.org/
