Thalassemia Patients’ Friends Society – Palestine (TPFS) and the Thalassemia International Federation (TIF)
The Thalassemia Patients’ Friends Society - Palestine (TPFS) has an established and longstanding institutional relationship with the Thalassemia International Federation (TIF), the international umbrella organization for national thalassemia patient associations, headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus.
TIF Board of Directors consists of 14 members hailing from 13 countries, with half of them being patients with thalassaemia. Elected every four years, the Board implements decisions made at the General Assembly and tirelessly works to promote the Federation’s mission and objectives.
TPFS joined TIF in the mid-to-late 1990s as part of TIF’s expanding global membership of national patient organizations. Following its initial affiliation, TPFS progressed within TIF’s membership framework and attained full national member status. Under TIF’s statutes and membership regulations, full membership is granted to officially registered national patient or parents’ associations and entails eligibility for voting rights at the TIF General Assembly, as well as the right to nominate candidates and be elected to TIF’s governing bodies, including the Board of Directors. TPFS’s recognition as a full member reflects its organizational capacity, sustained engagement, and contribution to patient advocacy at the national and international levels.
TPFS’s role within TIF governance was first formalized through the election of Mr. Anton Skafi as a member of the TIF Board of Directors. During his tenure, Mr. Skafi represented the Palestinian thalassemia patient community within TIF’s highest decision-making body. His participation encompassed board-level responsibilities as well as broader engagement in TIF-led advocacy, awareness-raising, and patient empowerment initiatives. His service on the Board constituted a significant step in ensuring Palestinian representation within international thalassemia governance structures.
IN 2024, TPFS maintained its governance representation within TIF through the election of Dr. Amal Daoud to the TIF Board of Directors. Her election underscores the continuity of TPFS’s status as a voting member organization, in line with TIF’s requirement that Board members originate from voting member associations. Dr. Daoud’s role on the Board reflects TPFS’s ongoing institutional standing within TIF and its continued contribution to strategic planning, policy discussions, and international advocacy efforts on behalf of people living with thalassemia.
Timeline of TPFS–TIF Engagement:
• 1996: TPFS joins the Thalassemia International Federation (TIF) as a national patient organization
• 1999: TPFS become voting member in TIF. TPFS attains full national membership within TIF, with eligibility for voting rights at the General Assembly
• 2006: Mr. Anton Skafi elected as TPFS representative to the TIF Board of Directors.
• 2024: Dr. Amal Daoud elected as TPFS representative to the TIF Board of Directors.
• 2025: Mrs. Jihad abu Ghosh continues to be voting member, and Patient Mr Askar Khatib joins as the second voting member representing patients.
