DILI, 01 august 2023 (TATOLI) – The Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV) provides hepatitis treatment to more than 60 patients every week.
“Hepatitis treatment is only available every monday afternoon at the HNGV. Every week, we have more than 20 patients receiving treatment at the HNGV,” Helder Guterres, Head of the HNGV Outpatient Unit, told TATOLI.
Guterres said the number of hepatitis cases continues to rise in the country, saying therefore immediate and serious action is needed to combat the disease.
According to him, hepatitis patients show progress in their health condition after receiving treatment at the HNGV: “They show willingness and commitment to undergo treatment.”
Currently, there are two specialist doctors treating hepatitis at the national hospital.
On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, the Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) pledged to fight viral hepatitis by extending viral hepatitis testing and treatment to regional and municipal hospitals.
José dos Reis Magno, Deputy Health Minister for Strengthening Health Institutions, said the plan to extend hepatitis testing and treatment to the regional and municipal hospitals is part of the IX Government’s commitment to bring health services closer to communities.
He emphasized that among the five main hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E), hepatitis B is very common in Timor-Leste, with a very high prevalence: “Therefore, we need to increase testing and treatment of viral hepatitis. We also need to raise awareness of viral hepatitis in Timor-Leste.”
Viral Hepatitis continues to be Public Health Concern in Timor-Leste, with 1381 positive cases recorded in 2022.
The Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur reiterated WHO’s commitment to support Timor-Leste in scaling up the use of effective tools against Hepatitis, especially testing and treatment.
“WHO is supporting MoH in developing the national guidelines on Hepatitis B and C, and implementation of comprehensive Hepatitis B operational plan covering three broad areas – 1) Prevention for HBV, 2) Diagnosis and treatment of HBV, and 3) Strategic information of HBV,” Mathur said. “Our goal is clear – by 2030, we aim to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat. This means a 90% reduction in incidence and a 65% reduction in mortality compared to the figures of 2015. It’s an ambitious target, but one that we firmly believe that by scaling up the testing and treatment of viral hepatitis this is possible.”
WHO supported the procurement of supplies and essential health products including IEC Materials, Hepatitis B Vaccines and viral load cartridges, Hepatitis B treatment, HIV Self Testing kits, and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs for KPs and high-risk individuals.
“We must prioritize funding, strengthen surveillance, and implement the integrated and costed HIV, Hepatitis, and STI National Strategic Plan 2022-2026,” Mathur said.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
