Session title | Eliminating Viral Hepatitis in the context of
Universal Health Coverage |
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Coordinator | World Hepatitis Alliance | |||
Hosts | World Hepatitis Alliance | |||
Session Objectives |
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Session Abstract | Hepatitis B and C affect 325 million people worldwide, 70 million in the African region, and claim 1.4 million lives annually, with mortality rising. This is despite the fact that solutions exist, a vaccine and effective treatment for hepatitis B and a cure for hepatitis C. At the World Health Assembly in 2016, countries adopted the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis and made the historic commitment to eliminate hepatitis by 2030. However, progress to date has been slow with many of the barriers to elimination amplified in the African region.
Efforts to eliminate hepatitis should be considered within the context of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The high-level declaration on UHC calls on to countries to address communicable diseases, including hepatitis, as part of UHC efforts and to advance ‘comprehensive approaches and integrated service delivery’. These commitments by countries must now be implemented on the ground. This session will demonstrate that integrated hepatitis programmes strengthen multiple aspects of a health care system, including maternal and child health services, infection control and improving the capacity of primary health care services, a key aspect of achieving UHC. It will also highlight that integrated services are cost-effective and promote patient centered care, ensuring that no one is left behind. The elimination of viral hepatitis can drive efforts towards UHC but action must be accelerated if this is to become a reality. This session will celebrate successes within the region, address the challenges and call on all stakeholders to help drive the response. |
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Session Format | Panel Discussion |
Virtual session link | Click here | |
Chairs | Chair: World Hepatitis Alliance representative
Co-Chair: Kenneth Kabagambe, Executive Director, |
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Speakers | Title | Contact | Status | |
Speaker 1 (Policy/Government) |
A national response to hepatitis B within the framework of UHC | Ministry of Health representative | TBC | |
Speaker 2 (Academia) |
100 million healthy lives – hepatitis C elimination as a catalyst to improve health | Professor Manal El-Sayed, Professor of Pediatrics at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt | TBC | |
Speaker 3 (Civil Society) |
The role of civil society in strengthening integrated approaches | Dr Alioune Coulibaly, President, APSAD/MALI, Mali | Confirmed | |
Speaker 4 (Private sector) |
Diagnostics as a tool for breaking down vertical programmes | Diagnostics industry representative | TBC | |
Speaker 5 (Optional) |
The landscape for viral hepatitis in the African Region | WHO AFRO representative | Tentative | |
Speaker 6 (Optional) |
UHC | UHC 2030 representative | TBC |
Event Timeslots (1)
ROOM 3 ROYAL PALM
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PD 12