Hepatitis C Advisory Committee

2008 An advisory group has been established to assist the Ministry of Health and District Health boards improve hepatitis C treatment services to all people with hepatitis C, who are entitled to publicly funded health services. A major component of the $30 million package announced in December last year is an additional $5 million per year to be invested to improve access to, and uptake of, hepatitis C treatment services.

The advisory group members are Ed Gane, a hepatologist at the Liver Transplant Unit in Auckland (chair); Nigel Stace, gastroenterologist at Capital and Coast District Health Board; Tony Farrell, GP from Mt Maunganui; Ken Couper, GP from Hamilton; Margaret Fraser, hepatitis specialist nurse at Otago District Health Board; Robyn Brown, Hepatitis C Resource Centre in Auckland;Steve Waring, Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand and Penny Pere, Ambulatory Services Manager, Hawkes Bay District Health Board.

I'm sure these people are dedicated professionals, I know they will be working to try and improve the situation. However unless the supply of interferon and resources increase, I can't see how the treatment situation can improve significantly.

Shared care has been promoted as a way to increase treatment supply by allowing General practices treat people for HCV under guidance of Specialist support. Although this increase's access to treatment there are quality of care implications.

Again this doesn't work unless resources are increased and access to and supply of interferon is increased. You just transfer the problem to GP's dealing with growing waiting lists of patients wanting a limited supply of treatment.

Some updated information on Hepatitis C Advisory Committee available at New Zealand Society Gastroenterologist web site http://www.nzsg.org.nz/research/hepatitis/hepatitis-c/