The Public Organization “M’ART” and the Initiative for Assistance to People Ill with Chronic Viral Hepatitides “Dolkar” prepared a report called “Hepatitis C in Ukraine: Unrecognized Epidemic”. The report was prepared under the financial and expert support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
99 percent of the Ukrainian people with hepatitis C are doomed to death – they are left alone with a problem of high cost of diagnostics and treatment of the disease that poses danger to the society. The number of the infected people in the country is unknown due to absence of registration of the ill people. Such a registration has been done only since June of 2009.
According to experts’ view, which they provided in the report “Hеpаtitis C іn Ukraine: Unrecognized Epidemic”, state bodies must immediately take a number of measures, necessary for halting the disease of hepatitis C in Ukraine, and provide its treatment at the expense of the state. The report was publicized on January 27.
According to different estimates, up to 3 percent of the people in Ukraine are ill with viral hepatitis C. There was no official statistics before the year of 2009 and registration of people ill with chronic viral hepatitides В and С was not carried out in Ukraine until July 1 of 2009. Too expensive diagnostics and treatment of this disease creates a situation when life and survival of the ill people depends on their own financial capability. In addition to that, there is no qualified medical care and it contributes to charlatanism in treatment of patients. Lack of information about the disease and ways of its passing makes it impossible to prevent the disease.
Unlike Poland, Russia, Moldova and other neighboring countries, Ukraine does not deal with the problem; however, certain financing of treatment is available to people with HIV and in regions of the country, at the expense of city and oblast budgets.
These are the main facts from the report, in whose preparation the following people and organizations participated: experts of the National O.O. Bogomolets Medical University, Vinnytsia National Pirogov Medical University, Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, WHO Country Office in Ukraine, All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”, Public Organization “M’ART”, “Dolkar”.
The report comprises eight parts that concern different aspects of the problem of hepatitis C in Ukraine, namely: diagnostics, treatment, protection of patients’ rights. Also, it provides general and nationwide statistics, describes international experience and situation in the regions. In addition to description of problems, related with this or that aspect of the disease, each section contains recommendations regarding their resolution.
According to experts, it is immediately necessary to carry out the following, in particular:
Bring the normative base on diagnostics, treatment and prevention of viral hepatitides in line with international standards;
Create an inter-departmental working group for development of a draft of a state program for prevention, diagnostics and treatment of viral hepatitis C in Ukraine, along with involvement of organizers of healthcare, experts and representatives of international organizations;
Initiate work on a draft of the program for prevention, diagnostics and treatment of viral hepatitis C in Ukraine that will entail a complex of measures for limitation of the spread of the infection and the impact of its negative medical and social consequences, treatment of patients on the level of the latest achievements of the international medical science;
Before adoption of the complex state program, to implement a program for informing the population and especially the risk groups about prevention, diagnostics and treatment of hepatitis C.
Victoria Onyshchenko, Executive Director of the Initiative for Assistance to People Ill with Chronic Viral Hepatitides “Dolkar”, said: “For us, this report is a foundation for further actions, directed on adoption of the state program for prevention of viral hepatitis C and treatment of the patients.”
Information:
The project was implemented by the Public Organization “M’ART” and the Initiative for Assistance to People Ill with Chronic Viral Hepatitides “Dolkar”, under the financial support of the International Renaissance Foundation, within the framework of a project “Creation of prerequisites for adoption of the state program of assistance to people ill with hepatitis C”.
The Initiative for Assistance to People Ill with Chronic Viral Hepatitides “Dolkar” was started in Kyiv in 2005, but it was announced for the first time on June 13 of 2007. It unites people ill with hepatitis C and all the indifferent parties – doctors, relatives of ill people, attorneys and human rights activists. The mission of the organization is to stop the spread of the hepatitis C epidemic in Ukraine.
