PM Unveils Georgia’s Goals Against Hepatitis C
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, July 31
Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the Georgian government will complete the practical introduction of the strategy to fight against Hepatitis C in 2020 and Georgia may be the first country to succeed in eradicating the virus-borne disease concerning its elimination and full eradication.
Bakhtadze says that Hepatitis C is one of the most pressing challenges of the global community in the 21st century.
"Unfortunately, it is one of the critical problems in Georgia too. Virus-born hepatitis, in general, is the type of disease, which requires the most significant mobilization of resources to fight against it.
“Many countries succeeded in fighting against Hepatitis B. Medication was also available to effectively treat the disease. However, Hepatitis C turned out to be the disease, towards which many countries of the world failed in their efforts,” Bakhtadze stated.
According to the current indicators, the Hepatitis C Elimination Program launched in 2015, has admitted almost 50, 000 patients.
98.2% of the patients have been cured, the Health Ministry of Georgia says.
In partnership with the American company Gilead, Georgia launched a large-scale Hepatitis C Elimination Program in 2015 with the goal to make Georgia a Hepatitis C-free country by 2020.
Specific treatment costs €110,000 per person, which is unaffordable for the majority of Georgians.
The treatment with the medicine Harvoni is free of charge.
Georgia had one of the highest estimated virus prevalence rates in the world, affecting 6.7 percent of the population.
