Home - Rheumatology For All

OUR MISSION

About Rheumatology for All

Rheumatology for All’s mission is to increase access to rheumatology care in under-resourced regions. Our aim is to create self-sustaining rheumatology training programs by funding the education of local physicians to become rheumatologists and providing educational programs for local physicians.

The Challenge

Millions of people throughout the world cannot get professional care for painful and debilitating rheumatic diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, etc.
Why does this matter? Without treatment people suffer pain, disability and possibly death. Rheumatic diseases are most common in young women but everyone from young children to the elderly can be affected.

The Solution

Educate local medical students, doctors in training and healthcare professionals so that rheumatology healthcare is continuously renewed with tomorrow’s health leaders

What's Happening?

Spring 2022 Update

RFA is making steady progress as an organization as reflected by our accomplishments. We continue to work towards increasing access to rheumatology care in resource limited areas in Africa by improving rheumatology education. Drs. Birhanu Demelash and Becky Adnugna, two Ethiopian physicians who Rheumatology for All (RFA) sponsored for fellowship training in rheumatology in South… Read More »

Fall 2021 Update – A letter from one of our volunteers

Our volunteers and donors are key to our success. Here we share a note written by Paul Caldron, D.O., recently retired from Arizona Arthritis Associates In June 2017, The Rheumatologist published a piece related to the dearth of rheumatology services in African countries and included reference to the experiences of Michele Meltzer, MD in Ethiopia… Read More »

Spring 2021 Update

Our mission to increase access to rheumatology care in resource-limited areas has taken a huge leap forward: Becky Adugna and Birhanu Desyiblelew have completed their rheumatology training in Durbin, South Africa, and have established the first Rheumatology Unit at Tikur Ambessa Hospital in Ethiopia. Next, they plan within a year to strengthen the rheumatology unit… Read More »

Fall 2020 Update

TWO BIG DEVELOPMENTS WE ARE PROUD OF: 1.Thanks to Rheumatology for All rheumatology has been recognized for the first time as a medical specialty in Ethiopia. 2. Due to necessity forced by Covid 19 we developed a virtual visiting professor program. This will allow us to continue our work unimpeded. Because of this government recognition,… Read More »

Global Facts

Africa is presently home to 1.2 billion people, 16% of the world’s population.
Africa has only 2.7 physicians per 10,000 population, compared to 5.9 in South East Asia, 12.7 in the eastern Mediterranean, 15.5 in the western Pacific, 21.5 in the Americas, and 32.1 in the European region .
Minimal research on rheumatic disorders is done as most African countries lack national agencies responsible for funding and conducting medical research.
Urbanization has resulted in an increase in the prevalence of gout, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and scleroderma over the past four decades.
According to the 2010 Global Burden of Disease survey, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases are the second leading cause of disability. worldwide.

Afomia Needs Our Help

If she cannot go to school, she will not be a wage earner.

“My name is Afomia Hailu I am a 23 year old girl. I graduated in civil engineering with 2.60GPA. I live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and started taking medications NSAIDS like prednisolone but as you know there are no practicing rheumatologists in my country. I’ve been to many doctors including a neurologist and I seem to be getting worse and I have run out of options. I need your help to get treated by a rheumatologist. I hope I hear from you soon I will be waiting for your email. Thank you.”

INCREASING ACCESS TO RHEUMATOLOGY CARE IN RESOURCE POOR AREAS

Difficult or Impossible to Work with Arthritis