Public Health Ambition

[KARL]

What people expect varies and one variously sees people praise the NHS or complain of its failings. Also, some people insist it is the best in the world so it is perhaps worth watching what goes on elsewhere in order to compare - it is hardly enough to say "It work wonderfully for me when I....".

Last year 194 countries apparently signed up to a commitment and a campaign to fight/wipe out hepatitis (C only ?) and at a conference held in Brazil last week it transpired that to date nine of these have followed up that commitment with sound policies and action/significant progress. The nine are Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Netherlands and Qatar. Among the best was having 80% of those infected in the country either cured or currently undergoing treatment.

I don't know if the UK had/has the ambition of the 194 but it was not among those mentioned as doing something about the commitment - maybe someone will tell me the UK is doing things better than everyone else (and without co-ordination with the rest of the world). Where does the NHS come into the picture ? The mention of all of this which I came across was very limited and I know no more than that described above.

[Buenchico]

It seems that part of the problem is actually finding enough patients to treat, with only 38% of those who are thought likely to have the disease actually being diagnosed as such and with a large number of them not being in touch with medical services:
http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/blog/nov-2017/data-shows-uk-not-track-eliminate-hepatitis-c-2030

[KARL]

Ah, I see - the UK is more backward than Georgia and Egypt. Those two countries (and others generally known to be highly developed) have managed to "find" enough of those who are infected to make serious progress toward the target, but the UK shows how poor its systems are in that, since there is an absence of useful/effective records, it cannot even muster a public health education programme capable of reaching people with a life threatening infection - and, according to the source quoted, things may easily get even worse. Makes you proud to be.........?

By the way, it turns out that the aim is to eliminate all viral hepatitis, not just C, by 2030.

[kvalidir]

Oh that's predictable Karl, an NHS slagging off thread in disguise, how original. You of course do have the option to not use it if you so desire?

[bednobs]

"public health" comes under councils now

[ladybirder]

Karl you seem to spend your time on here running down the UK. Beats me why so many people want to live here if it is as bad as you say.