In the 2009 Health Budget
Savings can be generated in 2008/09 and 2009/10 by delaying contracting for services from within the draft Hepatitis C plan that have not yet been agreed and provided.
We don’t get ?
These are likely to include information and education services and DHB/Primary Care treatment services.
We get ?
- A clinic in Christchurch for a three year proof of concept pilot programme to trial the provision of a Community Clinic
- evaluation of the Christchurch clinic pilot
- Haemophilia Foundation New Zealand – contracts to discharge obligations made under the Government’s Hepatitis C no-fault decision.
I think this is entirely unacceptable for the magnitude of the epidemic we are dealing with. Somebody does not get it.
We get a Community Clinic in Christchurch that duplicates existing services in a community, that already has two treatment providers ?
We don’t get information and education services and DHB/Primary Care treatment services for the rest of the country.
Which option benefits the most individuals and communities ?
What is going to make the most difference to the Hepatitis C epidemic in New Zealand ?
Christchurch Community Hepatitis C Clinic who is it ?
Needle Exchange New Zealand, the Hepatitis C Resource Centre and Rodger Wright Needle Exchange Programme. A smoggy triangle of organisation’s based in Christchurch came up with the idea of a clinic for Christchurch.
The clinic will be governed through the Drug Injecting Services in Canterbury Trust which operates as the Rodger Wright Needle Exchange.
Christchurch PHOs, Partnership Health , Canterbury Community and Ministry of Health have provided financial assistance to support the clinic .
If the Christchurch pilot proves successful, it is hoped similar clinics will be rolled out in other centres.
Christchurch already had a good level of hepatitis C treatment already according to the Christchurch DHB read more here
Where is the famous hepatitis C Plan ?
We have seen the mess that exiting servcies are in and it now seems a solution has been postponed. Yet we can’t even see this mythical Hepatitis C plan to see what has been cut .
INVEST IN HEPATITIS C TREATMENT
It saves money you , It costs more to not treat, not addressing the problem is ensuring the future costs grow with the epidemic.
Health Economist, Ian Sheerin, from the National Addiction Centre at the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences says the lack of strategic screening, management and treatment for IDUs with Hepatitis C will cost the country dearly in coming years. He says there will be a multiplier effect in terms of increased health costs through extra GP visits, diagnostic tests, hospital outpatient follow-up, and inpatient admissions for liver cirrhosis and liver transplants.
“The figures should be of concern to health planners. There has been little official recognition of the implications of these escalating costs which will run into many millions of dollars in future,” says Ian Sheerin. ” My research predicts that there will be a cost of between $166 and $400 million over the next 30 years because of a lack of adequate treatment of Hepatitis C at present.”
Ian Sheerin says there is also the attitude amongst some members of the public that drug users don’t deserve any treatment at all. He says this is short-term thinking that will rebound on the taxpayer as more intravenous drug users end up in hospital with complications as a result of advanced Hepatitis C infection. With Hepatitis C, early intervention is arguably the most rational economic course to follow, resulting in fewer cases of severe liver disease while benefiting the patient at the same time.
Ian Sheerin National Addiction Centre Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Otago
Instead of making savings. These delays / savings in the 2009 budget are generating greater future costs.
best of health
www.hcv.org.nz
