Have a blood disease? King Edward VII Memorial can now help.A new health service is being offered at KEMH thanks in large part to cancer specialist Dr Paul Coty.Dr Coty started at KEMH in February as its oncologist. In an interview with Body & Soul he explained that as an oncologist he also trained as a haematologist — a blood specialist.As a blood specialist he is qualified to help people with blood diseases, even those that are not cancerous.Diseases like sickle cell anaemia, where red blood cells are misshapen and often cannot carry enough oxygen to organs in the body; haemophilia, where the blood does not clot; anaemia where there is not enough iron in the blood and haemochromatosis where there is too much iron in the blood, are all common examples of non cancerous blood disorders.There are no statistics on how many people have these conditions in Bermuda, but health authorities say there are people who are afflicted.Up until April, such people had to travel overseas for specialist attention but thanks to Dr Coty a new service has been implemented at KEMH where these patients can receive expert treatment.Dr Coty said as a community oncologist he was becoming more aware of the need for such a service in Bermuda.“A few local physicians called me requesting help with some of their patients with blood diseases,” he said.Local GPs sought out Dr Coty because it is well known in the medical community that oncologists are usually also blood specialists.According to Dr Coty the situation with some patients was dire as they would have to go overseas and did not have the medical coverage to do so.Recognising the need he discussed the possibility of having a clinic to cater to this segment of the population with his staff, Dr Eyitayo Fakunle the consulting haematologist in KEMH’s lab and KEMH management.Dr Coty said he thought it warranted a separate clinic, because people with these blood diseases were not ill in the same way that many cancer patients are.He said it would be better not only for the patients with the blood disorders but also for the cancer patients, to separate them.Coming to a cancer clinic would be putting to say a patient with anaemia, just as having an anaemic patient in the waiting room next to a chemotherapy patient who has lost their hair and feels awful, could be upsetting to that cancer patient.He said it’s also hoped the clinic will provide a means by which people with blood disorders will be able to better manage their condition.At the moment there is a concern about what happens when those with blood disorders become adults.Dr Coty said up until 18 these people are under the care of their parents and usually regularly see their paediatricians.Once they become adults there is no medical body or organisation that is able to track them. “They really are lost to us,” he said.Having the clinic he hopes, will be a way to ensure that those in this group are getting the care and attention they require.“We want to prevent young adult patients coming into emergency in crisis due to not having routine care,” he said.The clinic runs once a month on the second Thursday of the month. It started in April with seven patients.As news of the clinic was purely word of mouth, Dr Coty acknowledged that once all the GPs find out the need could be much greater and require him to increase the number of times a month it runs.If you have a blood disorder and would like to visit the clinic, contact your GP for a referral.