Ministry of Health and AbbVie renew the partnership to help eradicate Hepatitis C in the Kingdom by 2030

Alongside the World Hepatitis Day, the Ministry of Health and AbbVie, a global research-driven biopharmaceutical company, have announced the renewal of their partnership to continue efforts to eradicate the Hepatitis C (HCV) virus by 2030.

In 2016, Etmaen, a comprehensive campaign to raise public awareness of HCV, was launched in 10 cities across the Kingdom. Building on Etmaen’s initial success in 2016, the next vital phase of the Etmaen initiative will focus on education, screening, diagnostics and treatment as part of the campaign.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver.  During the initial infection, people often have mild or no symptoms. Without treatment, the virus can cause liver failure and liver cancer, often requiring a liver transplant or resulting in death.

Explaining the Etmaen initiative, Dr. Abdullah M Assiri, the assistant deputy minister for preventive health at the Ministry of Health, said: “Our efforts are focused on continuing to improve the current standards of HCV care in the Kingdom in line with our aim to eliminate the virus by 2030. Currently, the Ministry of Health focuses on discovering undiagnosed HCV cases in the community and then referring patients to be treated with high-efficacy specialized medications. The Ministry of Health is committed to screening 100,000 people in 2018. Moreover, the Ministry has increased the number of hospitals and healthcare centers which specialize in the treatment of hepatitis C in the Kingdom, along with the number of physicians, which enables us to have realistic targets of treating 10,000 HCV patients annually.”

Dr. Ahmed Hakawi, general manager for infectious diseases prevention at the Ministry of Health, added: “In order to be closer to the patients, in addition to 25 main hospitals, the Ministry is expanding treatment to 48 primary health care centers across the Kingdom.”  

Alongside this, AbbVie will start a campaign aimed at educating primary health care physicians about correct diagnosis and treatments of HCV. AbbVie will also support the Ministry of Health in following up with all diagnosed HCV patients through a ‘937’ hotline.

Rami Fayed, regional vice president Middle East and Africa at AbbVie, said: “The continuation of AbbVie’s partnership with the Ministry of Health is a key milestone in Etmaen’s journey. Through utilizing our expertise and innovative solutions, we are committed to supporting the Ministry of Health’s efforts to elevate the standards of healthcare, increase early detection of HCV and, ultimately, make a remarkable impact on patients’ lives in Saudi Arabia.”

To help with the early detection of HCV, the Ministry of Health, supported by AbbVie, are currently hosting Fibroscan screening sessions in primary health care centers across the Kingdom. This is a painless and non-invasive test used to assess the stage of liver disease in patients with diseases. To find out more about these screening sessions, please call the Ministry of Health hotline on 937 or visit the nearest healthcare center.