October 30, 2009: “I’ve been running for past three years. But this time, I feel all the more special!” says 13 year old Steven after running in The Great North Run. Hemophilic, but never letting it outdo his knack for sports, he adds, “it felt great after having become able to help the needy in another part of the world!” 

The Liverpool boy, who is a great sports enthusiast, participated in the Run on September 19 for a cause. He ran to raise funds for the welfare of poor Children with Hemophilia at Davangere in Karnataka, India. It happened after a team of specialists from Liverpool visited the Hemophilia Treatment Centre at Davangere and shared the experience with Liverpool Pediatric Hemophilia Centre, which Steven attends. 

Later on October 11, The Hemophilia Society, UK organized its Residential Conference and Annual General Meeting at Cardiff. Dr Narsimha Rao, a qualified pediatrician, who has been helping the cause of Hemophilia through interaction with various professionals of the World Hemophilia Community, was invited to talk about ‘Hemophilia Care in India’. He pointed out the lack of awareness about Hemophilia. “People don’t know about the disorder, and organizations offering help do exist!” Dr Rao insisted on the need of publicizing the Hemophilia organizations through Mass Media and Internet Social Networking.

Dr Rao has been associated with the cause since his medical schooling days, where he was greatly inspired by his teacher Dr Suresh Hanagavadi, the current president of HFI. 

Of other things, he spoke about the challenges faced in providing Hemophilia care in India, the medical and socio-economic impact of the patients and their families, and the role of HFI in health care delivery. He introduced prospects of collaborative health care between UK and India and other countries to improve care across the border.