Rwanda
Launches
hepatitis
elimination
strategy.
By Kenneth Kabagambe
WHA Board member
10 hep Voice JANUARY 2019
In December 2018, I was in
Rwanda with WHA members
Rwanda Organization For Fighting
Against Hepatitis (ROFAH)
attending the launch of an
ambitious new strategy that
looks to eliminate hepatitis C
in Rwanda within the next five
years. Incredibly, at the event
Rwanda Biomedical Centre
Director General, Dr. Jeanine
Condo, declared that although it’s
a five year plan, they believe that
hepatitis C elimination can be
achieved in just two years.
The Rwandan government
has prioritised hepatitis C
elimination for some time. In
2011 the government was the
first country in sub-Saharan
Africa to establish a hepatitis
control unit, which sits within
the Division of HIV/AIDS, STIs and
Other Blood Borne Infections
at the Rwanda Biomedical
Centre. The unit utilised the
infrastructure built to combat
other epidemics including HIV to
combat hepatitis. In 2013, the
viral hepatitis technical working
group was set up, comprising
health ministry specialists,
clinicians, academic researchers,
laboratory experts, implementing
partner organizations, United
Nations agencies, and civil society
organisations. Since then they
have tested 300,000 individuals.
The new plan sees a massive
upscaling of testing and
screening, with 4 million people
aged 15 and above due to be
tested within the next three
years. Those who are found to
have hepatitis will be given access
to treatment and care. Rwanda
has a population of 12 million
people with 4% of the population
expected to have hepatitis C.
technical assistance to the
country.
The Alliance has been
undertaking similar work in
Nigeria, where we have been
working with partners, civil
society and the government to
put together the investment case
for hepatitis C elimination there.
You can read more about that
work on our hepatitis financing
site www.hepatitisfinance.org
It’s encouraging to see African
countries prioritising hepatitis
elimination and to see African
governments willing to work
with civil society in creating
elimination plans. There is much
work to be done in Africa to make
the elimination of hepatitis a
reality, but we are seeing steps in
the right direction.
“although it’s a five year plan, they
believe that hepatitis C elimination
can be achieved in just two years”
visit the hepatitis financing
strategy template at
www.hepatitisfinance.org
The launch of this plan has been
made possible with support
from the Clinton Health Access
Initiative, who have provided
hep Voice
JANUARY 2019 11