Financing prevention, testing and treatment of hepatitis in the context of Universal Health Coverage

Overview

Today, the global mortality from viral hepatitis exceeds that of HIV, TB or malaria, and is likely to exceed the toll from those three diseases combined by 2040.Viral hepatitis elimination meets all criteria for inclusion in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework. However, today, start-up funding is essential.

A side event was held at the 2019 conference for the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in October 2019 to consider the effective use of global health resources. The meeting underscored the potential public health impact of expanding viral hepatitis elimination programming through strategic integration, including integration with existing efforts to eliminate AIDS and TB.

Conclusions outlined in this report call for the integration of the viral hepatitis response within programmes funded by the Global Fund and other funding agencies under a broader logic of UHC, as well as the establishment of catalytic funding for setting up and implementing national hepatitis plans.