World Hepatitis Day - Viet Nam pilots action to improve access to hepatitis C care

The pilot project in Viet Nam with the enhanced support from WHO is also using new technologies to enhance the clients’ access to faster diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. 
 
From despair to hope: Dam The Hanh was told that he would remain an active hepatitis C patient for the rest of his life for ten years. Photo: WHO Viet Nam/ Thuy Trang 
 
As Dam The Hanh found out in September 2014, he was positive for hepatitis C but could not afford the treatment. 
 
Speaking to Iparget, 45 year old Mr Hanh shares that he found out how the disease converts into cancer very fast. “I decided that all I have to do is wait until I die, therefore I frequently gave up. ” 
 
Ten years on he is participating in a Ministry of Health pilot programme, backed by the WHO, to offer rapid hepatitis C tests and treatment in district health complexes. 
 
The other participant of the enhanced programme is La Thi Tuoi, 42 years old. When she felt worsening of the health, she went for treatment. 
 
“I was awake most of the time; —sleep came and went, but I could not get any rest. ” Ms Tuoi also reported the constancy of her discomfort: “I was never hungry, never full, but bloated when I ate. ” 
 
Nam Tu Liem District Health Centre in Ha Noi provided the study’s sample by having health care workers feed a sample of Ms Tuoi’s blood into a point of care testing machine. In total, within 60 minutes after its introduction, the presence of the hepatitis C virus was identified. The same day she received the first month of a medication for a three months’ course of treatment. 
 
Time for action: 42 years old La Thi Tuoi appeals to a subject to seek treatment if he or she suspects to have contacted the virus. Credit: WHO Viet Nam/ Thuy Trang 
 
Hepatitis C is viral Hepatitis for which the mode of transmission is through contact with infected blood together with sexual transmission. This can occur as a result of the use of the same needle/syringe, unsterilized blood transfusions with unsifted blood products or unsafe sex. Hepatitis virus leads to inflammation of the liver and as consequences cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, where by many end up dead. 
 
Liver cancer ranks fifth among all the countries in both incidence and death rate ; as for viral hepatitis, about 8 million of the total population, that is, one of the twelve of the people, are positive for hepatitis B, C or both. 
 
But still, the majority of the world’s population infected with hepatitis C, 90%, remain unaware of the virus – and are now untreated and on the antiviral medication which can cure the disease. 
 
Thus, there are several barriers to diagnostic testing and treatment. These include; until now diagnostic testing has only been done at provincial and national hospitals, some people do not experience symptoms or may not know that they need to be tested and normally one has to wait for so long to get the test results. Also, the cost of the treatment reaches 400 per cent average monthly income, which means that many people with hepatitis C remain untreated. 
 
Nam Tu Liem District Health Centre in Ha Noi and Thot Not District Hospital in Can Tho Province in Vietnam has disassembled these barriers from 2023 by using point of care molecular testing machines that is reseve for diagnosing Tuberculosis only. Assistant Director of Nursing, Mary Jumbe stated that Ministry of Health and WHO has made it possible for the staff to use the technology to determine the amount of hepatitis C virus in patient’s blood and testing and treating the patients for free. 
 
Point of care testing also eliminates the need for an infected person to get diagnosed and commence treatment on the same day before the chance of infecting others, getting into severe complications related to the flu-like disease or end up dropping out between testing and receiving the results. 
 
Hepatitis C virus RNA testing from the blood obtained from Nam Tu Liem District Health Center. Photo: Some employment law issues that are applicable to WHO Viet Nam include; WHO Viet Nam/ Thuy Trang 
 
WHO endorsed the development and application of the programme with technical cooperation from the Viet Nam Administration for the Control of HIV/AIDS (VAAC), National Tuberculosis Control Programme and medicines procured through the Global Fund. 
 
Nam Tu Liem District Health Centre screened the first year 371 people and 96. 61% of the patients have been treated. Till date over 100 patients have successfully gone through the treatment process and 99 percent of patients are reported to have recovered. 
 
Because the pilot has proven that hepatitis C can be well diagnosed and treated at DHS facilities situated within reachable proximity to the communities, the cover will be added to more provinces in 2025 with the assistance of the Global Fund. 
 
Also in late 2024, the two health facilities in the pilot will start testing HIV clients for viral load using the same machines, thus people living with HIV will also be he                    benefitted. 
 
WHO Viet Nam Representative Dr Angela Pratt said that access does make a difference to those in need as well to the overall health care system. 
 
“Increasing testing of hepatitis around peoples’ homes and closer to home will be a valuable factor in the increasing number of people who will be diagnosed and cured in Viet Nam for hepatitis C digitization of its services in hepatitis will also help in slashing costs from the personal, community, health system and economic fronts. 
 
“Fostering this system in the future, the costs should be compensated by the social health insurance thus more individuals could address this crucial service. 
 
“The outcomes of this pilot programme should help Viet Nam inch closer to its vision-free viral hepatitis epidemic by 2030. ” 
 
Point of care testing is not only associated with improved health, however it’s also a cost effective way to using health care resources, said VAAC Director General Dr Phan Thi Thu Huong. 
 
Integrated care and strengthened primary health care is possible and serves the interest of both health care facilities and patients when tests for several diseases are conducted using existing point of care machines. 
 
Improving access: HCW, Mai Thi Bich Hong said that the programme is already expanding the coverage and reach of health care. Photo: The results in this paper led me to come up with the following suggestions for WHO Viet Nam: Improving the methods of Meet the needs of Thuy Trang. 
 
Nam Tu Liem District Health Centre social service is implementing this pilot with the help of Ms Mai Thi Bich Hong who explained that it was already proving to be a massive improvement for patients. 
 
In _HCW Practice Makes Perfect_, Mello shows that when health care workers merely attempt to work a bit harder, all patients stand to gain enormously. This reflects that more people are treated early, do not get sick frequently hence less burden on the whole society. ” 
 
The pilot phase of the scheme has been extended till the end of June 2025 and early indicators are positive. 
 
”I am very luck to join this programme” said Mr Hanh.

“I advanced, I feel stronger now, even gained around 3-4kg for the past few days, it is very much helpful, I am no longer bothered with the disease that I have, it lessens the worry so I can go back to work and focus and not think about the disease anymore. 
 
Ms Tuoi was also feel relieved because she felt heathier than before. 
 
‘When I treated the heabdominal pain with medicines depending on the specialist’s prescription for a month, things returned to normal then everything was fine’ ‘When it was the third month, I was feeling like I was not actually sick,’ 
 
The slogan for this year’s campaign designated for 28th July, World Hepatitis Day is “It’s time for action. ” 
 
When asked what message she would like to give to others on the Saving Day, she encouraged people to be active. 
 
If a similar issue is present, do not start to buy the medicine on your own, consult the health centre first. ”