Dr. Manal Ghazzawi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder Knowhep Foundation Sierra Leone, with the support of the World Hepatitis Alliance has addressed an open letter dated Thursday 27th June 2024 to the Minister of Health , Dr Austin Demby to urge Miniter Demby’s support in the fight against Hepatitis.
The Letter was titled: “It is Time for Action.”
It was World Hepatitis Day on 28th July 2024 and she was writing to garner stakeholder’s support to battle against the accelerating epidemic.
“Hepatitis is now the world’s second deadliest virus, after COVID-19. Every year, 1.3 million people lose their lives to hepatitis – and the new World Health Organization Global Hepatitis Report says the number of deaths is rising, ” Dr Ghazzawi emphasized.
According to her, more than 1 million Sierra Leoneans are living with viral hepatitis, with the majority unaware of their status, and since testing and treatment remains beyond reach for most, they will not know until it is too late. She argues that more than a third will have their lives cut short by liver cancer or other forms of liver disease.
She admonished that there is a cure for hepatitis C, and a vaccine and effective treatment for hepatitis B, but Sierra Leone’s health programmes are not sufficiently funded; stigma and discrimination prevent many from accessing services; and millions of her most vulnerable citizens are being left behind. She added that there is a short window of action available between 2024 and 2026 to regain the trajectory needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr Ghazzawi in her correspondence to Health Mininister Austin Demby passionately calls on the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to prioritise viral hepatitis elimination in the following ways:
- Promote greater public and political awareness of the importance of viral hepatitis B and C prevention, testing and treatment.
- Promote free testing for all pregnant females attending antenatal care and the immediate introduction of the hepatitis B birth dose
- Substantially increase access to testing in community and health facility-based services
- Provide high-quality, evidence-based and affordable, people-centred hepatitis care services and prevention programmes
- Address stigma and discrimination faced by populations most affected by hepatitis in healthcare setting and in society as a whole
- Strengthen community and civil society involvement in hepatitis programmes and create innovative partnership to drive change.