The Centre for Hemophilia and Thalassemia at St. Marina University Hospital-Varna and the Centre for Hemophilia at the University Hospital in Bonn, Germany, were honoured with the highest award of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) - Twins of the Year 2015. The award was given to Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kaleva and Prof. Dr. Hans Brackmann at the closing ceremony of WFH 2016 World Congress, which took place in Orlando, USA, from 24 to 28 July 2016.
WFH Twins of the Year Award is a prize that has been awarded annually to two Haemophilia twin centres (a well-established and a developing one), which are partners in the so-called WFH Twinning Programme, and which have achieved impressive results in the improvement of care for patients with congenital disorders of blood coagulation in the developing centre. The 2015 Award is a choice among 111 twin centres worldwide.
The Centre for Hemophilia and Thalassemia at St. Marina University Hospital-Varna was opened in November 2013. At the beginning of 2014, together with the Centre for Hemophilia at the University Hospital in Bonn, it was included in WFH Twinning Programme. In a very short time, the scope and quality of the Centre's activities have fulfilled all requirements for European certification by the European Haemophilia Network (EUHANET), and consequently, in April 2014 it was granted the status of European Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre. A year later it was designated as the first Expert Centre for Rare Diseases in Bulgaria by the Ministry of Health. In June 2016 the Centre was nominated to be included in the European Reference Network for Rare Haematological Diseases with a pending decision on its inclusion by the end of 2016.
