Yangon General Hospital has announced that a hepatitis C clinic is now open every Friday at its Specialist Outpatient Department, offering medical care free of charge.
The clinic operates from 1 pm to 4 pm every Friday. The free services provided include viral load testing for diagnosed patients, antiviral medication for treatment, and follow-up testing three months after the completion of treatment to verify the success.
Public reactions have been positive, with comments such as “So happy. Treating hepatitis C on our own is extremely expensive, so thank you to all”, “May those who cannot afford recover; we are very grateful,” and “This is wonderful news.”
Hepatitis C treatment in Myanmar began in 2017 under a national control project, which provides free medications nationwide.
According to the latest estimates from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, approximately 1.1 million people in Myanmar are living with chronic hepatitis C. This accounts for roughly 2.7 per cent of the population. Hepatitis C is a common blood-borne viral liver disease. Most people infected are unaware they have the virus. It is primarily spread through blood-to-blood contact and the use of injections.
ASH/MT/ZN
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