Therapeutic Apheresis in Lower-middle-income Countries: Progress, Gaps, and Opportunities

Proposed Session Description: Many of us spend most of our careers within a single healthcare system, which can make it feel as though there’s only one “right” way to practice. Yet around the world, clinicians work through entirely different structures, constraints, and opportunities—some of which may resonate with those practicing in resource challenged parts of the U.S. This session invites attendees to explore how access to therapeutic apheresis varies across lower and middle income countries (LMICs), and what creative solutions have emerged in these diverse environments.
This international panel will bring together experienced apheresis practitioners from India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and other LMIC settings. Each will briefly highlight their unique healthcare environments, operational models, and the clinical challenges they face in delivering apheresis services. Their snapshots will set the stage for a moderated, question and answer discussion designed to spark open, interactive dialogue among panelists and attendees.
The conversation will center on practical strategies, innovative program models, and collaborative opportunities that can help expand safe and effective access to therapeutic apheresis globally. By gathering perspectives from physicians, laboratory specialists, apheresis nurses, and other professionals, the session underscores the inherently interprofessional nature of apheresis care and the value of teamwork across borders and disciplines.
Ultimately, the session aims not only to illuminate the challenges encountered in LMIC programs, but also to showcase resilience, creativity, and emerging opportunities for global collaboration. By shifting the conversation from limitations to possibilities, this international dialogue offers a chance to envision a more equitable and accessible future for therapeutic apheresis—one shaped by shared experience, openness, and collective problem solving.