First Regional meeting “Hepatitis C: The Beginning of the End – Are we ready to think about the elimination of HCV in Croatia”

Zagreb, February 19, 2016: Croatian Liver Society “Hepatos”, WHO country office and MEP Biljana Borozan, the host of the meeting, have organized the high level meeting “Hepatitis C: The Beginning of the End – Are we ready to think about the elimination of HCV in Croatia” at the Palace Hotel Zagreb.

The meeting had the aim of considering the health care situation of ill from viral hepatitides and estimating the economic burden of the illness in the future, but specially emphasized the importance of defining a National Strategy and the Action Plan for Combating the Viral Hepatitis.

Nowadays, scientific discoveries afford the unique opportunity to eliminate Hepatitis C both in the world and in Croatia changing significantly the mortality rate, social and economic costs.

“With this meeting we want to call the attention to the Hepatitis C related social marginalization and to promote all the activities meant to eliminate Hepatitis C, in accordance with basic human rights, non-discrimination, parity and health rights” – said Tatjana Reic, Hepatos President.

Along with the representatives of the Croatian Parliament and the Croatian Ministry of Health some very important international guests and speakers also took part in the meeting: Antons Mozalevskis (WHO EURO region), Raquel Peck (WHA), Homie Rizavi (CDA), Ricardo Baptista Leite (Member of the Portuguese Parliament).

This meeting gathered for the first time in one place all the hepatitis related stakeholders from Croatia. Also it was first ever regional meeting with distinguish guests from neighbouring countries: Ms Mojca Matičić (Slovenia), Ms Azra Husić Selimović (BiH), Mr Branko Brmbolić (Serbia), Ms Havka Kuč (Montenegro), Ms Viktorija Chaloska Ivanova (Macedonia).