Hep C – Action Identificatio

Majority of Poles living with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) do not seek medical help and do not use very effective therapies which are reimbursed in Poland. Why? They simply do not know about their infection. This is dangerous. Although there are no symptoms, the infection does not go away on its own and in time becomes the reason for life threatening conditions like cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Despite such serious consequences for patients, even some GPs do not know enough about the virus. The Hep C Action Identification program aims at improving this situation. We run it for Gilead Sciences Poland under the patronage of the Polish Hepatological Society in cooperation with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations as well as the Polish Federation of Associations of the Third Age Universities.

As part of Hep C Action Identification we organize lectures for future doctors at medical universities, workshops for the elderly at Third Age Universities and in post-penitentiary institutions. The latter two combined with free HCV testing. A competition addressed to medical students for the best educational film is another element of the Action.

Each year the Action reaches several million people through traditional and social media.