Ulaanbaatar
“Whole Liver” program expected to stop spread of Hep-C
Politics
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Whole Liver-Mongolia Program was approved by the Cabinet on April 12. The program will commence on May 1 to complete in 2020. The initial step will be the free-of-charge tests and diagnoses of Hepatitis B and C among people of 40-65 years of age.
Costs of the early diagnoses will be covered by the Health Insurance Fund, said an official during a press conference held at the Ministry of Health on Thursday, April 13. As for the total program cost, MNT 226 billion or 24 percent will be funded from the State Budget, 68 percent from the Health Insurance Fund and eight percent from other financial sources.
The program is expected to result in stopping the infection of Hep-C and drastic reduction of death rate caused by chronic liver inflammation, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Actions are planned to be taken targeted to raising public awareness and improving knowledge about hepatitis infections, changing public’s behavior in order to prevent further infections and educating the population on ways to protect oneself and close ones from hepatitis.
The number of Hepatitis infections has dramatically decreased from the five-year average thanks to the realization of the previous program run by the government. Nevertheless, liver cancer became the top cause of death in Mongolia in the past decade, claiming 15 percent of all deaths. The indication that approximately 2,600 Mongolians are dying each year of liver cancer and cirrhosis is six times greater that the global average. According to a study conducted in cooperation with the World Health Organization, there are about 400 thousand people infected with Hepatitis B and C in Mongolia.
The press conference was attended by the Minister of Health A.Tsogtsetseg.
Written by B.Amarsaikhan
