Will there be progress in introducing a checkup for Hep C?

Discussion on preparing policies to combat hepatitis C

Health authorities say, "Expert reviews are expected this year, possibly as early as next year"

Attention is focusing on whether the introduction of national screening for hepatitis C, which has been idle for eight years, will be able to make progress this year.

 

At APASL 2023, which was held in Taipei, Taiwan for five days from the 15th, in-depth discussions were held on preparing national policies to combat hepatitis C.

 

The forum examined the situation in Korea, where hepatitis C was still not included in the national examination.

 

The WHO declared the eradication of hepatitis C by 2030 and called for international efforts.

 

As hepatitis C has opened the era of cure due to the development of treatments, the most important goal is to find patients who have not been diagnosed.

 

Several countries around the world, including Germany, Japan, and Taiwan, are reducing the number of patients through active diagnosis and treatment, including hepatitis C, in national checkups.

 

Discussions on hepatitis C, which began in 2016, are still "in progress." Although cost-effectiveness has been consistently proven through feasibility studies and pilot projects centered on the Korean Liver Association, the government has not responded positively.

 

Korean health officials who attended the forum made an optimistic prediction that "If positive results are obtained from this year's expert review, hepatitis C could be included in the national examination as early as next year." Kwak Jin, head of the infectious disease management department of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "The first expert review conducted in 2018 judged that there was not enough evidence to meet the qualifications for national screening." "If we pass the review successfully, we predict that national screening of hepatitis C could be possible next year or the year after next," he said.

 

He also suggested other aspects to consider to combat hepatitis C.

 

This means that a system from diagnosis to treatment and management, such as post-diagnosis treatment and high-risk group management, should be established organically.

 

Manager Kwak said, "If a public or private examination confirms the infection, a system should be established that can be performed as treatment." It is also important to establish management and screening systems for high-risk groups of infection, such as correctional facility inmates, refugees, and injection drug users, and to establish a comprehensive public-private cooperation system including the hepatitis Policy Advisory Committee.

 

Park Ji-min, a health promotion officer at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "Since the Korean government is well aware of the importance of eradicating hepatitis C, two large-scale pilot studies have been conducted.

 

However, Park took a cautious stance, saying, "Korea has a national health examination system, which is a program for all Korean citizens, and the inclusion of hepatitis C in the national examination has a great impact.

 

Therefore, the careful and conservative application is needed according to the principles mentioned by Kwak." This is seen as a remark in consideration of whether it is right to include hepatitis C, which has a domestic prevalence of only 0.8%, in the screening system for all citizens.

 

The prevalence of hepatitis C, which has met cost-effectiveness through various pilot projects, has been mentioned as the reason for failing to enter the national examination.

 

The Korean Liver Association has reaffirmed the validity of the hepatitis C screening test through further research.

 

According to the report on the study's final results on the feasibility analysis of hepatitis C screening and follow-up management of screening among the national health screening items released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis C met all five conditions for introducing national screening items.

 

The five conditions will be important health problems, diseases that can be detected and treated early, acceptable to the screening method, more profitable than loss, and effective against cost.

 

The report relates to prevalence.

 

In 2020, medical expenses due to hepatitis and related diseases were confirmed to be 11.5% of the total annual medical expenses," it stressed.

 

At the forum, domestic specialists reiterated the need to introduce a rapid national screening of hepatitis C.

 

Jang Jae-young, a professor of gastroenterology at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, said, "As a result of the study, the incidence of major liver diseases was significantly reduced when all people aged 40 to 65 were examined for hepatitis C through national checkups and was cost-effective at all ages.

 

In particular, screening in the 60s is the most cost-effective, and when conducting hepatitis C screening tests at the age of 56 to 65, the savings have been greater than the input cost since 12 years ago.

 

After 20 years, 20 billion won can be saved, and 30 billion won can be saved after 30 years."