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?

Progress March 2019

In 2015 an international group of rheumatologists visited Addis Ababa to provide a series of lectures (continuing medical education to physicians). On that visit, they observed an extreme need to improve access to rheumatology care. In 2016 they formed Rheumatology for All (RFA). Here we share our progress. Why is our work so important? Rheumatic and… Read More »

Becky and Birhanu arrive in South Africa

Here are Becky and Birhanu, arriving in South Africa from Adddis Ababa to begin their rheumatology fellowship sponsored by Rheumatology for All. Their two-year fellowship is comparable to those in Western countries. Becky remarked, “With only 2 weeks, these people have changed our rheumatology perspective in the right direction.”. On completion, Birhanu and Becky will have the skills to… Read More »

Birhanu and Becky are going to South Africa!

We are thrilled to tell you that Birhanu Demelash Desyibelew, MD and Becky Abera Adugna, MD are on the cusp of beginning their two-year fellowship in rheumatology at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa. They are enrolled for the January 2019 term. Rheumatology for All could not have found better candidates for our initial class of scholars… 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