"Georgia is an excellent example of a country combatting the complex diseases," stated Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia about national elimination program of Hepatitis C today.
In 2015 Georgia had the world’s third highest prevalence of hepatitis C, after Egypt and Mongolia, with nearly 7 percent of adults carrying the virus. It also had a wide range of viral variations and different types of patients.
In 2015 Georgian government and pharmaceutical company Gilead have started an unprecedented program. Gilead has supplied Georgia with highly effective medication for free.Over 50,000 Georgians have received medication worthing several billion USD.
"Today we may say with great pride that tens of thousands of our citizens formerly infected with Hepatitis C are fully cured now with government support. Some time ago this diagnosis was perceived as a verdict in Georgia and it was impossible to combat it with household savings. We have a tremendous success. Test negative indicator is 98% on average. We will not spare time and efforts in future either for the ultimate eradication of the disease. I am confident that Georgia will become one of the first countries to fully combat the Hepatitis C" added the Prime Minister of Georgia.
A two-day regional consultation meeting held in Tbilisi under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO), is attended by officials from Ministries of Health of various countries, European Commission, UN system agencies, WHO HQ and regional offices, professional associations and leading experts. Meeting aims to review and exchange information on the progress and challenges of participating countries towards combating Hepatitis C.
