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India expands free care to eliminate hepatitis by 2030
News On AIR··27 Jul
India is expanding free screening, diagnostics and treatment for hepatitis B and C under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, aiming to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030. Launched in 2018, the programme aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Services are moving from district hospitals to local health centres for wider access.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Free testing and treatment at local health centres could make hepatitis care more accessible near your home.
- Hepatitis B and C are leading causes of cirrhosis and liver cancer, making early screening genuinely useful.
- The push aligns with a global 2030 elimination target, so India's progress will be tracked internationally.
What's Happening
- The government highlighted its National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme's push toward the 2030 elimination goal on July 27.
- The programme, launched in 2018, offers free diagnostics and medicines for Hepatitis B and C nationwide.
- Care is being decentralised from district hospitals down to local health centres for wider reach.
Five Viruses, One 2030 Deadline
- Hepatitis A through E differ in cause, with B and C driving most chronic liver disease cases.
- A toll free helpline, 1800-11-6666, shares hepatitis information alongside India's tuberculosis elimination programme.
- The programme also targets universal Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination for newborns to prevent future infections.
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