Stakeholders in the health sector have appealed to the federal government to fully subsidize or provide free testing and treatment for Viral Hepatitis (VH) in Nigeria through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) or the National Health Insurance Act (NHIA).
Deputy Director of the Viral Hepatitis Desk at the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), Ministry of Health, Dr. Ganiyu Jamiyu, highlighted the prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) noting that Nigeria has an average prevalence of 8.1 percent of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and 1.1 percent of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), a situation that persists due to limited access to viral hepatitis services.
Meanwhile, the federal government has expressed Nigeria’s commitment to ensure universal access to Hepatitis services, as indicated in the National Hepatitis Policy.