CAIRO: Marking World Hepatitis Day, the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis (NCCVH) called for unified government and community efforts to raise more resources towards hepatitis C treatment. The NCCVH held a press conference on July 27 where participants shared the progress achieved in treating hepatitis C via the national project. “Almost every Egyptian family has been affected by hepatitis C, yet it has not received its fair share of community support and funding remains a severe constraint,” said Dr Wahid Doss, dean of the National Liver Institute and head of NCCVH. “The state allocates a substantial LE 500 million annually for the treatment of hepatitis C, but for the national treatment plan to succeed, it is essential for the community including civil society organizations to contribute to provide a much needed additional LE 500 million,” he said. “Since 2007, the Ministry of Health has provided LE 2 billion through the national project for the treatment of HCV — a substantial economic burden that can only be overcome through the harmonization of all efforts,” said Dr Gamal Esmat, professor of Hepatology and Gastroenterology at Cairo University and a member of NCCVH. Esmat said that hepatitis C patients are being discriminated against especially in work places. “Only 20 percent of HCV are liable to complications. Awareness should reach out to people in different fields to inform them that hepatitis C is not an epidemic,” said Dr Khaled Kabil, a member of NCCVH. Furthermore, Dr Mohamed Kamal Shaker, professor of Hepatology and Gastroenterology at Ain Shams University and member of NCCVH emphasized the necessity of raising awareness towards prevention, urging the media to take an active role in spearheading campaigns that educate the public on the means of preventing the spread of hepatitis C infection. “As the old saying goes, prevention is better than treatment,” he said. “MSD [a global healthcare company] has developed drugs that greatly help improve the lives of HCV patients. We are proud to be partners of several national initiatives including: providing interferon at the lowest price globally,” said Dr Nermine Raouf, public relations manager of MSD. MSD has developed the first approved therapy for chronic HCV in 1991 and the first combination therapy in 1998.
