Workshop on development of costed action plans for viral hepatitis in South-East Asia Region

A regional workshop on development of costed action plans for viral hepatitis in the South-East Asia Region was organized in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 18 to 23 August 2019. The overall objective was to support the development of fully costed national action plans, and the workshop was attended by participants from all 11 Member States in the South-East Asia Region. Being a hands-on workshop, participants started by reviewing viral hepatitis country profiles as preliminary exercises aimed at prioritizing and target-setting. They also engaged in economic analyses using simple tools and assessed cost-effectiveness of key interventions. It was demonstrated using cost-effectiveness estimations that implementing viral hepatitis treatment programmes are not only cost-effective but also cost-saving within few years of initiating treatment, in most country contexts in the region. Subsequently, participants engaged in development of logical framework models for key interventions, including for prevention; and cost estimates for these interventions, using the One Health Tool. Finally, reflecting upon and piecing together their efforts during the workshop, participants discussed key steps and outlines for the way forward to develop and implement costed action plans for viral hepatitis in the respective countries.

Meeting report attached Report_costed action plan_11Nov2019