Thank you to all the community members who completed the HFA Hep C survey earlier this year.
We appreciated very much your generosity in sharing your personal stories. The survey was an important way for HFA to gather evidence about the experiences and needs of community members affected by hepatitis C.
HFA SUBMISSIONS
With these personal stories as a valuable part of the evidence, HFA made comments and submissions to:
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), which was evaluating new hepatitis C treatments for listing on the PBS in March 2015
- The Australian Government Inquiry into hepatitis C.
HFA spoke at the Inquiry Public Hearings on Wednesday 21 January and HFA President, Gavin Finkelstein, told his personal story as an example of the experiences of people with bleeding disorders. HFA also made a written submission to the Inquiry.
You can read the transcripts of the Public hearings at – www.tinyurl.com/inquiryhearings
And click here to download the HFA submission to the Inquiry, and read other submissions.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
PBAC met last week and will publish its decisions 6 weeks after the meeting.
The Australian Government Standing Committee on Health is continuing to gather evidence for the Hep C Inquiry.
Advancing liver disease and limited treatment options is a critical problem for some of our community members with hepatitis C. Treatment to cure their hepatitis C is crucial – and needed urgently.
HFA is pursuing every avenue possible around access to these new treatments for affected community members. Watch this space!
For more information, read the Hep C News article in the March 2015 issue of National Haemophilia.