Distinguished members of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), observers and WHO colleagues,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to this inaugural meeting of the STAG, which I have convened to accelerate progress towards achieving our goal of a hepatitis-free South-East Asia Region.
Hepatitis kills an estimated 410 000 people in our Region every year – around 30% of the global burden, and much more than HIV, TB or malaria.
It makes many times that number sick, reducing workforce participation and the sustainable growth it promotes.
Bold and decisive action is required to stay on track to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3.
New diagnostics, drugs and other medical products have the potential to dramatically reduce hepatitis morbidity and mortality.
When applied in combination with proven strategies such as immunization and blood and injection safety there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Commitment to eliminate hepatitis continues to gather pace across the Region, and it is imperative that we harness it.
Almost all countries are now implementing national strategic plans that are aligned with the regional action plan, which Member States adopted in 2017.
All countries have at least three doses of hepatitis B vaccine in their national immunization schedule and eight countries now provide the hepatitis B birth dose.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand have achieved the 2020 hepatitis B control target.
Policies that empower key populations to prevent infection, get tested and, where appropriate, seek treatment are showing results.
But the Region is yet to achieve its full potential.
For example, the cost of direct-acting antiviral drugs, which can cure 85-95% of cases of hepatitis C, has come down to as low as US$ 40 for a 12-week course.
But not all Member States have made the cost reductions that are possible.
Point-of-care testing can dramatically increase the number of people who are aware of their status and can thereby seek treatment.
But across the Region, such testing is yet to be implemented in a uniform and comprehensive fashion.
We expect the STAG to develop strategies that will help fast-track the implementation of these and other key interventions, for which high-quality data and evidence are paramount.
In this meeting you will examine a series of systematic reviews undertaken by WHO and reappraise the country and regional disease burden estimates for hepatitis C. In due course, the same should be done for hepatitis B.
You will assess estimates of the financial resources required to eliminate hepatitis in the Region and identify the funding gaps that must be filled. Your conclusions will inform the investment cases that will soon be developed.
Together we must continue to highlight the cost-benefits of preventing and treating hepatitis in its early stages, before long-term complications arise.
Front-loading investments makes public health and financial sense and should be integrated into the Region’s overall quest to achieve universal health coverage, which is one of eight Flagship Priorities and the SDG target that underpins all others.
The successful completion of these tasks, in addition to your review of the Region’s progress on global and regional targets, is crucial to preparing the next regional action plan. As you know, the current plan will conclude in 2021.
I urge you to make the most of this meeting and thank you once again for contributing to our shared mission of achieving a healthier, hepatitis-free South-East Asia Region.
Thank you.