Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 9 (EMN): Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) has become affordable at much cheaper rate costing Rs 5000 per month with high percentage of cure rate of 90% unlike the past years with high treatment cost between Rs 4-5 lakh for six months.
This announcement was made by Ketholelie Angami, secretary of Hepatitis Coalition of Nagaland (HepCon) during an orientation meeting held on HBV and HCV at Hotel Japfü this evening.
WHO has coined viral hepatitis as a ‘viral time bomb,’ which today not only affects the Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) as people commonly believe but the virus has shown its presence among the populace of the State in the recent years.
Hepatitis C has always been an area of concern for the people of Nagaland and become a public health concern. Hepatitis C is curable with treatment lasting from 6 months to 1 year. However, it was learned that people continue to die of a preventable and curable disease because of lack of awareness and high treatment cost.
Taking into consideration the urgent need to address the viral of HCV and HBV and without much support from the government, the programme was jointly organised by Nagaland Users Network (NUN), HepCon and Access tor Rights of Knowledge (ARK). It was attended by members from NUN, NNP+, FPAI and pharmaceutical companies.
To facilitate accessibility for both testing and medicines for those who need it, a one-stop facility centre is being worked out, which will be operational within two weeks, it was informed. Initial test will be done free of cost at Family Planning Association of India (FPAI), Nagaland branch, Daklane, and further test at Kohima Diagnostic Centre, Lerie, at minimal cost of Rs 1800.
Earlier with no availability of medicines at any pharmacists in Kohima, it has become a huge challenge for those people affected with the viral hepatitis, who had procured medicines from Guwahati and Imphal through courier services.
Now, people can procure the medicines for treatment at FPAI Reproductive Health and Family Planning Clinic (RHFPC), Daklane.
A physician from Bethel Medical Centre, Dr. K Asa Savino, has highlighted in brief on how to manage HCV. He also informed that 170 million people are infected with HCV where progression of the viral hepatitis to cirrhosis occurs in 20% of affected patients after 20 years.
While the epidemic continues to spread rapidly in the recent years, Angami lamented on the absence of any documentation and mechanism to address this issue with little or no response from the State government, civil organisations and other health sectors.
He emphasised on the need to strengthen and streamline the mechanism and also raising awareness about the viral hepatitis in order to address the health needs of the people.
