TIF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE | 19-21 November 2021
The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) organised the 15th International Conference on Thalassaemia & Other Haemoglobinopathies & 17th TIF Conference for Patients & Parents on 19-21 November 2021.
Organised in the context of the internationally renowned TIF Educational Programme, the TIF International Conference 2021 (TIF 2021), was yet another truly inspiring event, attracting over 1,000 participants, both healthcare professionals, and patients/parents, from over 62 countries, thus providing a unique forum for discussion and interaction.
The TIF 2021 presented an excellent opportunity for participating doctors and patients to exchange knowledge on the latest scientific advances in the field, share concerns and challenges, and contribute to the development of the Three C’s for Patient Organisations: Capacity, Competency, and Confidence. It was a unique occasion for a discussion that covered the latest advances in research, recent regulatory authorisations of therapies for the care and cure of these diseases, as well as the multidisciplinary care required for appropriate clinical management through case presentations.
Simultaneously, a special focus on patients’ disease education and capacity building facilitated the empowerment of the patient/parent community, whose strong and competent representation and participation are extremely important at all levels of decision-making bodies and processes leading to more productive and successful outcomes.
In the context of the TIF 2021, both the Deputy Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Suzanna Jakab, and the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mrs. Stella Kyriakides, who reaffirmed the support of their Organizations to the work of TIF, emphasizing the need to promote haemoglobin disorders in national health agendas.
Conference Overview
Focusing on the chronic and complex disorders of the haemoglobin, the Conference marked yet another milestone in the world history of thalassaemia, a disease that is preventable, treatable and now curable thanks to the accumulated scientific knowledge of at least 50 years that is constantly expanding. 3 whole days of impressive, scientific and academic announcements and presentations, covered almost every field in terms of prevention, management and treatment not only of thalassaemia, but also of sickle cell disease.
The added value of patient-centred decisions, policies and actions was emphasised throughout the Conference. The aim was to make this value clear to the competent authorities, who have the final say in supporting patients and their families, while ensuring the resilience and sustainability of national healthcare and social care systems, amid a variety of challenges they experience because of large movements of populations from countries of medium and high prevalence to countries of low prevalence of the two diseases.
The conclusions of the Conference were many and are fully in line with the findings of the recently published « Global Thalassemia Review 2021 » of TIF – a product of the Federation’s cooperation with the WHO that sheds light onto the dramatic and widening inequalities between people with thalassaemia in terms of their access to quality health, social and other care.
Download the Official TIF 2021 Report
