Middle East Hospitals Gain Access to Much Needed Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis and Treatment Resources

Through the MECFA diagnostic pilot program, ten hospitals located throughout the Middle East can now provide early accurate cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis at no cost to patients or families.

Earlier this month, MECFA, announced the conclusion of phase 1 of a pilot program aimed to significantly improve clinical outcomes of patients with CF through early and accurate diagnosis, advocacy, and education. This pilot successfully delivered machines and virtual training to hospitals in Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, and Azerbaijan. We are excited for the next phase focused on education and training.

Several benefits have been associated with early identification of CF, including better growth and lung function, less intensive therapeutic burden and reduced cost of care. Accurate detection permits early access to specialized medical care, and thus results in less morbidity and longer life expectancy. Increasing education and access to diagnostic equipment and supplies will lead to early detection and improved awareness of the signs of CF a month pediatricians and pulmonologists at each hospital.

“This pilot project will help enhance the capacity of participating member countries to offer early accurate diagnosis at no cost to patients and families,” said Christine Noke, CEO, MECFA

The Middle East’s current availability of accurate CF diagnosis indicates that without a systematic and sustained intervention, CF would rapidly lead to death, with a high economic and emotional cost to patients and their families. Misdiagnosis and lack of confirmed cases of CF make it difficult to convince health ministries to include CF care in their annual budgets.

About MECFA

The Middle East CF Association is a nonprofit organization registered in Massachusetts, USA. The mission of MECFA is to improve health outcomes for CF patients in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. MECFA fulfills its mission with three key actives; training CF specialists and supporting the development of CF centers of Care, increasing early and accurate diagnosis, and advocating on behalf of patients to ensure they have access to essential CF therapies. Currently only 1/10 of the patients living in Middle East region have access to essential drugs and CF specialized care.