Treatment facility for Hepatitis C introduced in Kohima

Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 26 (EMN): As a step towards eliminating Hepatitis C by 2030, through the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), the government of Nagaland rolled out a Hepatitis C treatment facility at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) on Friday.

The facility was unveiled by Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Pangnyu Phom. NVHCP is an integrated initiative under the National Health Mission (NHM) and was launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on World Hepatitis Day last year.

One of the key strategies to address the issue of viral Hepatitis is coordination and collaboration with different departments, Phom said. Some of the strategies adopted under the programme include preventive and promotive interventions with focus on generating awareness, promoting diagnosis and providing management of viral Hepatitis to those in need, Phom added.

Initially, the focus is to provide treatment of viral Hepatitis C along with various other preventive aspects like generating awareness, safe blood and blood products, injection safety and infection control, he said. In the meantime, he also informed that lifelong treatment for Hepatitis B will also be provided under the programme very soon.

Phom said he was confident that the programme would be expanded to reach and cover even the ‘most peripheral’ areas.

The minister also said that Nagaland has “successfully demonstrated its dedication” in dealing with reproductive, child health and communicable diseases, which has ‘resulted in positive outcomes.’

“It is now time to replicate similar attention towards addressing viral Hepatitis,” he said.

“Healthcare workers are at increased risk of acquiring Hepatitis B infection in comparison to the general population and hence it was decided to administer Hepatitis B vaccine to this risk group and activity is ongoing,” he said.

Investing in Hepatitis is a “smart decision” for broader health outcome and preventing liver cancer, he said. He called upon the people to join the cause to help the people by creating awareness, sharing information, and access to testing and treatment services.

State Nodal Officer of NVHCP Dr. Vezokholü Theyo, in her address, said that “90% of people living with Hepatitis B and 80% living with hepatitis C are not aware of their status. This can result in the real possibility of developing fatal liver disease at some point in their lives and in some cases, unknowingly transmitting the infection to others.”

“With the availability of effective vaccines and treatment for Hepatitis B and a cure for Hepatitis C, the elimination is achievable but greater awareness and understanding of the disease is a must,” she stated.

“Some of the key objectives are to enhance community awareness on Hepatitis, provide early diagnosis and management of viral Hepatitis at all healthcare levels, and to develop standard diagnosis and treatment protocols.

“For Hepatitis B, people should be tested and if found positive and eligible, provided with lifelong treatment. Whereas, for Hepatitis C, people can be cured with a simple two to three month treatment with direct acting antiviral (DAA) drug,” Theyo said.

Achieving Hepatitis elimination by 2030 will require a major increase in funding of Hepatitis prevention, maximum awareness, testing and treatment services as part of achieving universal health coverage (UHC), the doctor added.

Viral Hepatitis B and C affect 325 million people worldwide, causing 1.4 million deaths. As many as 2,850,000 people became newly infected in 2017. 80 % of people living with Hepatitis lack prevention, testing, and treatment, she said.

‘Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis’ was the theme for World Hepatitis Day, 2019 which is aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality associated with Hepatitis B and C, and to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality due to Hepatitis A and E.

President of Network of Nagaland Drugs and AIDS Organisations (NNagaDAO) and national advisory committee on Hepatitis-C, Abou Mere said that the NGOs have been advocating it for the last ten years. The matter was placed before the state and the central government, but they were “not willing to listen,” owing to the absence of specific data of the country, he said.

He said he had “mixed feelings” towards this new programme. He expressed happiness at the rolling out of NVHCP in the state. Yet, he also recalled his friends who died of the same virus. “If this programme had been rolled out from that point onwards, many people would have been alive today,” he said.

The prevalence rate of Hepatitis C among drug users is 20.8%, he said. He appealed to the department to bring in the treatment as soon as possible. Mere also emphasised on the need to prioritise prevention, as many infected persons might not be aware of their condition.

Microbiologist at NHAK, Dr. Margaret Yhome, who was part of the drafting of the national guidelines on NVHCP, spoke on laboratory diagnosis of the programme. On the launch of the programme by the centre, the health workers and staff were trained and are now ready to carry out the programme, she said.

Medicine specialist, Dr. Imtisunep Jamir gave an update on the treatment services for NVHCP. He claimed that the Indian way of treatment is nothing less than that of the WHO. The NVHCP draft, he said, was prepared out of firsthand experience and treatment.

According to the World Health Organisation, among the people living with Hepatitis, over 80% (general population) lack access to testing or treatment. Among people living with Hepatitis B, only 10% (27 million) were aware of their infection status in 2016.

Of these diagnosed people, only 17% (4.5 million) received treatment. Among people living with Hepatitis C, 19% (13.1 million) knew their infection status in 2017, of which 15% (2 million) were cured in the same year. Overall, between 2014 and 2017, 5 million people have received Hepatitis C cure worldwide.