CoNE documents progress and challenges of NVHCP, provides recommendations
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 11 2020:
As the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP) in the state crosses one year of its implementation, Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE), in an attempt to document the progress and challenges of NVHCP in the state has come up with an information sheet from a community perspective during July 2019 to July 2020 and has provided certain recommendations for program designers, community groups, state Viral Hepatitis Control Program (SVHCP) and NVHCP officials to consider in the interest of the program and its strengthening.
The document/information sheet, a copy of which has been submitted to the Dr Sandhya Kabra, Nodal Officer, NVHCP, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and Dr RK Rosie Devi, State Nodal Officer, NVHCP was released today during a function held at the office of CoNE at Keishamthong Hodam Leirak, Sega Road, here today.
Addressing media persons during the function, CoNE president RK Nalinikanta said that the NVHCP was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day on July 28, 2018, as an integrated initiative for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in India.
He continued that the programme which aims to eliminate viral hepatitis from India by 2030 was implemented in the State on July 28, 2019 .
While acknowledging the success of the National program in Manipur, Nalinikanta maintained that there still are various challenges and loopholes on the part" of the implementing authorities which need to be looked into seriously to achieve the target of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030 .
Maintaining that much improvement in the data collection and management is needed, Nalinikanta pointed out that the steering committee needs to meet more often and bring out the challenges met while implementing the program taking into consideration the problems faced by the community while assessing the services.
The peer support staff who are expected to guide patients or high-risk groups are still to be recruited and time taken for RNA test also needs to be minimized, he added.
A clear cascade of care from screening to cure could not be developed given the gaps in data collection and management, he said and added that this has to be improved through training the data management staff further.
He further stated that appropriate proactive engagements of key populations, as described by the NVHCP, needs further strengthening to ensure that awareness generation and demand creation are happening at scale.
Meanwhile, the released document/information sheet provides various recommendations for program designers, community groups, state Viral Hepatitis Control Program (SVHCP) and NVHCP officials to consider such as acceptance of alternative documents in the absence of Aadhaar for accessing Hep C treatment; monthly reporting format supplied from the NVHCP needs to be reworked to capture entire cascade of care; need for development of appropriate timetable for a steering committee meeting to ensure attendance of members in meetings and recruitment of peer support staff among others.