Social Information Agency, July 5, 2022

What are the issues that patients face, and what do the Ministry of Health and other experts recommend?

On July 4, a meeting was held to discuss the organization of medical care, preventive measures, and social adaptation of patients with hepatitis C. The meeting was organized by the Government Expert Council for Social Care.

According to Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Russia currently lacks a system for registering patients with hepatitis C, in contrast to other socially significant diseases. As a result, no one knows how many people are currently ill or how the disease is progressing. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the clinical guidelines of the Ministry of Health include three recommended drugs that are not manufactured in Russia and six that contain an imported substance, both of which are cause for concern.

Today's main task is to clearly prioritize and consider the logic of identifying and treating patients. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health should complete the federal register and propose a public awareness campaign, as well as a program for early detection and prevention of the disease.

Who gets hepatitis C and how

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According to Grigory Potapov, CEO of Pharmstandard JSC, hepatitis C was only recently brought to the attention of federal authorities when the president addressed the Federal Assembly last year. Given that hepatitis C is no longer a disease of socially problematic groups, only a few patients receive treatment. Furthermore, hepatitis C is now completely curable. Modern direct antiviral drugs do not require a hospital stay; instead, a patient can receive two or three packages, complete a course of treatment, and then receive a final diagnosis to confirm the cure.

“The issue of eradicating the disease in a reasonable time frame can be addressed through a centralized, coordinated program led by the Ministry of Health. Centralized procurement will lower drug prices significantly, and competent patient routing in the early stages of disease will also reduce costs and increase patient coverage,” says Grigory Potapov.

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Source link: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2022/07/05/kak-budut-viyavlyatj-i-lechitj-pacientov-s-gepatitom-c/