Georgia awarded status of exemplary country combating Hepatitis C
Wide availability of diagnostic services and the treatment of Hepatitis C significantly decreased the load of the disease. Photo: Ministry of Health.
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The Ministry of Health of Georgia has been awarded a certificate of an exemplary country combating Hepatitis C by the European Association for the Study of the Liver and International Liver Foundation in Austria.
It is a great honor for us to be given...this status. The Hepatitis C elimination programme in Georgia represents the best example of cooperation between private and state sectors, the US Disease Control Center and Gilead company laid the foundation,” Health Minister Sergeenko stated.
The award looks like this way. Photo: Ministry of Health.
He said the wide availability of diagnostic services and the treatment of Hepatitis C significantly decreased the load of the disease in Georgia.
Many countries will learn from our experience since 2015,” David Sergeenko said at the awarding ceremony.
The International Liver Congress opened on April 10 in Vienna.
Georgia’s Ministry of Health and the International Liver Foundation plan to sign a deal of cooperation during the congress.
Georgian Health Minister David Sergeenko says there is a risk the country’s Hepatitis C elimination programme may come to an end.
The programme to eliminate Hepatitis C is expanding in Georgia. In addition to medical institutions, screening will now also available at Public Service Halls.
Around 45,000 people have gone through medical treatment for Hepatitis C in Georgia, 98 percent of which were cured, the head of Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze said.
According to three years results of the Hepatitis C elimination programme, 50,000 people are involved in the process currently and treatment rate is 98,2 percent.
Georgian Health Minister David Sergeenko has resigned after seven years in post, and has been appointed as Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze’s advisor in health and labour issues. Ekaterine Tikaradze, who headed Sachkhere Regional Hospital and non-commercial legal entity Dostakari, will replace him in the role.
Residents of seven Georgian regions will be provided with free Hepatitis C, HIV and Tuberculosis tests starting today. Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia said today that the project was first initiated in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and the other six regions were added this year.
The diagnostic tests, which are necessary to enroll in Georgia's Hepatitis C elimination programme, will be available for free. Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze recently said that the diagnostic tests cost about 140–360 GEL.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia spoke of the proposed changes to the government-led health insurance programme with the heads of various hospitals earlier today. Gakharia said the programme should first of all focus on the needs of citizens and, therefore, the current system needs to further develop to become more efficient.
Gilead, the US company providing free Hepatitis C medicines to Georgia since 2015, has stated that the expiration of Hepatitis C medicine worth 560,645,083 GEL ($194 million USD) is not ‘unusual.’
Georgia’s progress in eliminating hepatitis C was in focus of health minister Zurab Azarashvili’s address to an event at the United Nations general assembly on Tuesday, the Georgian health ministry said.