Patient association helped relieve her from anguish after suffering from psoriasis for more than 40 years.

30 December, 2014

(Uho Health Net News/ General report) Ms. Ho is 60 years old and was diagnosed with psoriasis 40 years ago. In the earlier years, she visited numerous hospitals and clinics, and even resorted to alternative treatments introduced by friends and families, but none relieved her from the disease. She remembers that due to the large affected area, she had to ask friends or families to help her apply topical medication, which required more than an hour to complete. She also suffered from severe sleep disturbance because of itchy skin. The experience was devastating.

Ms. Ho was diagnosed at 19, where she developed psoriasis skin symptoms and psoriatic arthritis. In the prime of life, she was experiencing large patches of scaling skin, rash, and distressing itchiness, as well as immobility from psoriatic arthritis. There was this one time where Ms. Ho’s frail mother had to carry her on her back to cross the road due to Mr. Ho’s poor mobility. Ms. Ho had tears in her eyes when she recalled this incident.

With advancement in medical science and aid from doctors, Mr. Ho’s psoriasis symptoms are now under control. She has joined Psoriasis Association Taiwan where she gained further medical and mental support. In the association, she has had the opportunity to interact with other patients, allowing her to feel encouraged and relieved. She is now an active volunteer in the association.

Chairman of Psoriasis Association Taiwan I-Mou Ko points out that according to the National Health Insurance statistics, there are approximately 60,000 psoriasis patients in Taiwan. This excludes those who have not sought medical treatment and those with undetermined diagnosis hence the actual number of sufferer is higher. There is a misconception that it is communicable disease due to its external symptoms such as large area skin scaling and rash. Consequently, patients attract social discrimination at school, work, and when undergoing military health examinations. Many psoriasis patients are forced to put their life on hold and isolate themselves from society.

Chairman Ko explains that issues requiring attending from the government and the society include:

1) To minimize social stigma toward psoriasis patients, the public must understand that psoriasis is not contagious.

2) Include psoriasis as a condition in the Catastrophic Illness Certification and Disability Card. This delivers social system intervention to severe psoriasis patients, and breaks the vicious cycle of poverty caused by giving up treatment, low education, and unemployment.

3) Extend the national health insurance benefit on drugs to ensure psoriasis patients have access to suitable drugs.

Chairman Ko also suggests that through exchanging experiences between Psoriasis Association Taiwan and other psoriasis patient organizations in European, American, and Asian countries, it became apparent that strengthened awareness and solidarity of the psoriasis patients are the essential components for them to fight for their rights. These are the keys to policy advancement. This observation also proves that “two heads are better than one” for these patients. Join Psoriasis Association Taiwan today and help create a psoriasis friendly society.