World Hemophilia Day 2025: India Faces Call to Action for Equitable Treatment:

The World Hemophilia Day 2025 theme, “Access for All: Women and Girls Bleed Too” brings attention to a bleeding disorder some people may forget – women and girls experience all kinds of bleeding disorders as well. While this lack of awareness is an issue globally, experts say that India continues to struggle with problems in the diagnosis and treatment systems, particularly for females.

“This is a wake-up call,” says Aakash Healthcare’s Senior Consultant of Hematology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Dr. Roshan Dikshit. “Women tend to be written off because of preconceived ideas that their symptoms are menstrual in nature, which ultimately leads to misdiagnosis or lack of necessary care.”

May 2025 marks the first AWC and WHD for which Dr. Dikshit outlines as Five Urgent Challenges India Must Address

Recognizing Women’s Bleeding Disorders

While many consider hemophilia to be a male-only disease, there are a lot of women who live with undiagnosed bleeding disorders. And this is because of lack of clinical knowledge which leads to stigma and neglect. Regular diagnostic tests during gynecological consultations as well as training medical professionals can help with the understanding and management of this condition.

Bridging The Diagnosis Gap

India has an estimation of 136,000 people suffering from hemophilia. However, only 21,000 individuals are registered which tells us that there lies a huge gap in achieving accurate diagnosis. “So many patients are living without awareness of having a debilitating condition until they develop some form of complication,” warns Dr. Dikshit. It is crucial to expand rural outreach alongside increasing access to diagnostic services.

Encouraging Preventive Care

In contrast to the United States and United Kingdom, who report between 80-90% of their patients on prophylactic treatment, India sits at a meager 4%. “Rather than reactive treatments, we need proactive prevention,” says Dr Sweta Lunkad of Jupiter Hospital. New therapies such as Emicizumab are enticing, however, affordability remains an issue.

Expanding the Scope of Gene Therapy

The country is also advancing in other areas of care. CMC Vellore's researchers have conducted gene therapy on patients with Hemophilia A and the first five patients have shown sustained, long-term results with no bleeding. “Gene therapy can transform lives—it’s a huge step for hemophilia care in India,” said Dr Arushi Agarwal, Consultant Pediatric Hematologist.

Elevating Awareness Alongside a National Agenda

There is consensus among experts that treatment needs to be paired with an awareness campaign on a national level, as well as stronger supporting policy. “Awareness needs to be built in every strata, from school programs to primary healthcare,” underlines Dr Lunkad. It is necessary that policymakers, clinicians, and patient groups work together in a coordinated fashion.