Lack of political will by gov’t hampering fight against hepatitis

The President of the Hepatitis B Foundation in Ghana, Mr. Theobal Owusu Ansah, has hinted that government is not doing enough in dealing with hepatitis B in the country.

He said government ought to give attention to hepatitis as it does HIV but unfortunately, that is not happening.

Mr. Owusu-Ansah, who was speaking to “Might Morning Flight” Host, Shaibu Awudu noted that much commitment needs to be made to hepatitis because, it is almost the same as HIV.

He asserted that “since government is paying a lot of attention to HIV, same needs to be done to hepatitis”. He said the lack of policy on hepatitis is making the commitment of resource into fighting the disease difficult. Mr. Owusu-Ansah said patients find it difficult to afford treatment because the NHIS doesn’t cover hepatitis B.

He hinted that the hepatitis Foundation would be embarking on a screening exercise in December for people to know their status on hepatitis. The Hepatitis Foundation was formed in 2006 to create awareness and sensitize hepatitis patients on the need to stick to periodic testing and treatment.