Two advisory committees met in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 4–5 April 2016 to guide new action plans on HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis for the WHO European Region.
The importance of this rigorous consultation process was highlighted, especially for the action plan on viral hepatitis, as it is the first plan on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in the WHO European Region.
The aim of the new HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis plans is to boost efforts to achieve zero new HIV and hepatitis infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths in the region.
52 experts, representing ministries of health, national HIV and hepatitis programs, civil society organizations, academia, United Nations agencies, major partner organizations, WHO headquarters, country offices and WHO collaborating centers took part in the discussions.
At the advisory committee, Ukraine was presented by Ludmila Maistat, Senior Program Manager: Hepatitis, Alliance for Public Health and Professor Olga Holubovska, the main independent infectious disease doctor of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, head of the infectious disease department of the Bogomolets National Medical University. Alliance for Public Health cooperates with the Ministry of Health to expand access to the effective programs of treatment for members of key vulnerable groups as well as general population, to develop a new National Program of Hepatitis Treatment for 2017-2021 in line with the new WHO recommendations and to strengthen cooperation at the national and regional levels.
Ukrainian representatives were part on the advisory committee which prepared an action plan for the European region, which was developed at the World Health Assembly and will be adopted in May 2016.
You can learn more about the meeting here