ILBS & FIND convene capacity-building activities and hepatitis C screening camps

• Workshop for medical officers and laboratory technicians took place 2 April 2019 in Delhi
• Activities form part of the Unitaid-supported HEAD-Start (Hepatitis C Elimination through Access to Diagnostics) project, designed to enhance availability and accessibility of hepatitis C testing services

New Delhi, India – 4 April 2019 – The Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences (ILBS) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) jointly convened an orientation workshop on 2 April 2019, for medical officers and laboratory technicians from polyclinics identified under the Unitaid-funded hepatitis C virus (HCV) HEAD-Start project. ILBS and FIND are implementing the HEAD-Start project in Delhi’s National Capital Region with support and guidance from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, with the goal of enhancing availability and accessibility of hepatitis C testing in key hospitals and polyclinics identified by the DGHS: Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, Maharshi Valmiki Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

A series of coordinated interventions is being undertaken to enhance increased availability of, and accessibility to, hepatitis C testing. Capacity-building activities have been organized by ILBS and FIND for the hospitals and polyclinic staff under the HEAD-Start project, and this week’s event follows a capacity-building workshop that took place in December 2018 for nodal officers, comprising physicians and microbiologists from each hospital, and project staff on HCV diagnosis and treatment. It was at this workshop that Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director of the ILBS and a strong proponent of finding the “missing” people infected with the HCV through early diagnosis, expressed that the ILBS–FIND partnership contributes to the development of a well-functioning network providing decentralized diagnosis for hepatitis C, with effective linkage to treatment centres in Delhi.

To promote point-of-care tests, so far seven HCV screening camps have been organized in different hospitals and polyclinics, covering more than 850 patients. In the coming weeks, more HCV screening camps will be organized at Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and associated polyclinics. People who test positive for HCV antibodies will be referred to one of the five hospitals identified under the project for further diagnosis and treatment.

Delhi, with its ever-growing population, has a high burden of hepatitis C. Diagnosis of the disease followed by treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) is critical. The HEAD-Start project aims to enhance hepatitis C diagnosis, exploring innovative testing strategies and treatment pathways in both general and vulnerable groups. This includes patients with clinical findings, people who inject drugs, individuals with HIV co-infection, patients on dialysis and patients who have undergone blood transfusions.

Dr Sanjay Sarin, Head of FIND India, said, “The HEAD-Start project will generate evidence for the implementation of effective diagnostic tools, and provide an operational service delivery model for the design of an integrated diagnostics and treatment blueprint, which will inform policymakers at both the state and central levels.”

The Hepatitis C Elimination through Access to Diagnostics (HEAD-Start) project is funded by Unitaid. It builds on earlier work supported by the government of the Netherlands, and UK aid from the British people.

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About the Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences (ILBS)
FIND is a global non-profit organization that drives innovation in the development and delivery of diagnostics to combat major diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. Our work bridges R&D to access, overcoming scientific barriers to technology development; generating evidence for regulators and policy-makers; addressing market failures; and enabling accelerated uptake and access to diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Since 2003, we have been instrumental in the delivery of 21 new diagnostic tools used in 150 LMICs. Over 50 million FIND-supported products have been provided to our target markets since the start of 2015. A WHO Collaborating Centre, we work with more than 200 academic, industry, governmental, and civil society partners worldwide, on over 70 active projects that cross six priority disease areas. FIND is committed to a future in which diagnostics underpin treatment decisions and provide the foundation for disease surveillance, control, and prevention.

About FIND
FIND is a global non-profit organization that drives innovation in the development and delivery of diagnostics to combat major diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. Our work bridges R&D to access, overcoming scientific barriers to technology development; generating evidence for regulators and policy-makers; addressing market failures; and enabling accelerated uptake and access to diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Since 2003, we have been instrumental in the development of 24 new diagnostic tools. Over 50 million FIND-supported products have been provided to 150 low-and middle-income countries since the start of 2015. A WHO Collaborating Centre, we work with more than 200 academic, industry, governmental, and civil society partners worldwide, on over 70 active projects that cross six priority disease areas. FIND is committed to a future in which diagnostics underpin treatment decisions and provide the foundation for disease surveillance, control, and prevention.

Media contacts
ILBS: Dr. Shantanu Dubey, Assistant Head Operations
T: +91 (0) 46300000, 23025
drsdubey@gmail.com

FIND: Navneet Tewatia, Advocacy Officer
T: +91 (0) 11-40479550
M: +91 (0) 70119-94721
navneet.tewatia@finddx.org