§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on(a) the steps which he is taking to ensure that hepatitis C is diagnosed and treated and (b) the budget for health awareness promotion concerning hepatitis C. [58300]
§ Yvette CooperWe plan to publish a consultation document on a strategy for hepatitis C during the summer, which will propose how prevention, testing and treatment services might be strengthened.
In October 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance to the national health service on the use of Ribavirin and Interferon Alpha in the treatment of hepatitis C. Since then, we have placed health authorities and primary care trusts under a statutory obligation set out in directions, which came into force on 1 January 2002, to provide appropriate funding for treatments recommended by NICE.
310W Work on the strategy has identified the need to raise professional and public awareness of hepatitis C. The Department recently held four regional hepatitis C seminars for primary care professionals and sent a hepatitis C briefing pack to all general practitioners and practice nurses in England. The pack includes information leaflets for patients. We will be assessing the need for further health promotion activities to raise professional and public awareness.
Implementation of the strategy will form a key component of the hepatitis action plan proposed in the chief medical officer's infectious diseases strategy, "Getting Ahead of the Curve".