Delegation Visit to Azerbaijan – 16-18 November 2015
TIF organised a delegation visit to Baku, between the 16th and 18th of November 2015, with a view to revisiting the status of health care services provided to patients with thalassaemia, particularly in light of patients’ grievances reported to TIF.
In addition, this delegation visit presented the opportunity to further strengthen partnerships with local patient/parent and medical/ scientific communities in Azerbaijan, as well as with the country’s Ministry of Health.
The TIF delegation was comprised of Dr Anver Kuliev, Ex-head of the WHO’s Hereditary Diseases Programme, and TIF Medical Advisor, Dr Michael Angastiniotis, who held meetings with medical specialists, and patients/ parents of the region.
Within the framework of this visit, TIF was able to map approaches to the prevention and management of haemoglobinopathies, including multi-disciplinary monitoring, with a view to developing a national policy. Following the visit, TIF aims to re-launch close communication with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Health, and to support national efforts for the implementation of a prevention programme.
TIF is offering support for the training of two medical professionals and a laboratory scientist through its training fellowship programme. A follow-up visit is necessary and TIF seeks the closer collaboration with the country’s health authorities.
