Curing Hepatitis C in Ukraine with Effective Drugs and Patient Support (ENG)

At least 5% of the population, or two million people, in Ukraine are infected with hepatitis C according to estimates from World Health Organisation. If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. Fortunately, hepatitis C is preventable and curable. In 2017, MSF opened a project in southern Ukraine that offers innovative hepatitis C treatment using advanced drugs that can cure hepatitis C in as little as 12 weeks.

Video includes interviews in English and Russian with: cured patient; peer educator; medical activity manager; and PSEC manager.

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Curing Hepatitis C in Ukraine with Effective Drugs and Patient Support (DE)

Subt. German

Curing Hepatitis C in Ukraine with Effective Drugs and Patient Support (FR)

Curing Hepatitis C in Ukraine with Effective Drugs and Patient Support (UKR)

Subt. Ukrainian

Curing Hepatitis C in Ukraine with Effective Drugs and Patient Support (RU)

Subt. Russian

World Hepatitis Day 2019 - Ukraine

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Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF280014

Date taken / Date Recorded 29/06/2019 12:00 AM

Country Ukraine

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Yevhen Tsymbaliuk

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Editor's rating ★★★★★★ (B)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 6m4s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 870.15 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist 00:00 00:22
Over 2 million people in Ukraine are infected with hepatitis C.

Fortunately, hepatitis C is preventable and curable.

In southern Ukraine, MSF offers an innovative treatment that can cure hepatitis C in just 12 weeks.

Ihor Skalko, Former MSF Patient
00:23 00:29
I first received treatment in the state programme. Unfortunately, that treatment was unsuccessful.
00:30 00:37
And then, unexpectedly, MSF appeared with this programme that uses newer drugs.
00:37 00:48
Of course, I seized the moment, and I am happy that I was enrolled in the programme and was cured.
Karan Kamble, MSF Medical Activity Manager
00:48 00:51
So far we have a 97% cure rate (in Mykolaiv).
00:52 00:57
The reason why we are so successful is because of the use of newer drugs which are available
00:58 1:04
and also because of an integrated patient psychosocial support system in our treatment facilities.
01:04 01:10
The older drugs had severe side effects, a longer treatment duration, and a low success rate.
01:10 01:17
Whereas, the newer drugs have few to no side effects, a shorter duration of treatment, and a good success rate.
Ihor Skalko, Former MSF Patient
01:18 01:23
Many people who are on hepatitis C treatment in the MSF programme say that the treatment is difficult,
01:23 01:28
because you need to follow a diet and undergo many tests.
01:29 01:32
I would like to tell these people, and I actually do tell them
01:32 01:41
when I have the chance, that the difficulties with this programme are nothing compared to earlier treatments with less advanced drugs.
01:42 01:50
For instance, treatment with older drugs means, for you to understand, receiving hospitalised treatment for the first month. Why?
1:50 1:55
Because of high fever and severe adverse effects.
1:55 02:05
During the first month after discharge from the hospital, my wife had to hold my hand when I walked until I fully adapted to the treatment.
02:05 02:08
I felt as if I was a 90-year-old man.
02:09-02:15
As to side effects and the way I tolerated the newer drugs,
02:15 02:21
it went really well, as if I wasn’t even on medication. It’s true.
02:21 02:24
I did not experience any side effects.
Karan Kamble, MSF Medical Activity Manager
02:24 02:29
The (newer) drugs are really expensive, the brand names especially.
02:30 02:32
The generics are not available everywhere.
02:33 02:37
In Ukraine, people have concerns regarding the effectiveness of generics,
02:37 02:43
but MSF has used generics to treat all its patients in Mykolaiv, and we have a 97% success rate.
02:44 02:48
The generic drugs and the brand name are the same chemical compound,
02:49 02:2:49
so basically they are the same drugs.
Ihor Skalko, Former MSF Patient
03:03 03:07
Surely, the most astonishing thing for me was that the treatment from MSF came at no cost.
03:08 03:16
Even in the state programme I needed to undergo tests, and I paid a great deal of money.
03: 16 03:21
That’s what I liked in the first place. Secondly, I liked the patient support.
03:22 03:29
A person is not just left alone with pills to take.
03:29 03:33
I regularly received calls from a health promoter and social worker.
03:33 03:38
Every time I came to pick up the medications, I had a conversation with someone.
Svitlana Ivanchenko, MSF Patient Support, Education & Counselling Activity Manager
03:42 00:03:45
Our main concern is adherence to treatment.
03:45 03:50
Adherence to treatment means the patient takes pills on time…
03:50 03:54
They do not miss visits to our clinic…
03:54 03:58
That they lead a more healthy lifestyle.
03:58 04:02
Peer educators are the most important part of our team
04:03 04:08
because these people have already been treated for hepatitis C successfully,
04:08 04:13
and they have experience, and they can share this experience with our patients.
Andrii Konovalov, MSF Peer Educator
04:13 04:18
I am a peer educator because, first and foremost, I am a person who had hepatitis C.
04:18 04:20
And I underwent treatment, and it was successful.

04:20 04:27

My role in this project is to help people to finish their treatment the same way, successfully…

04:28 04:36

To prevent possible risks that may occur during a patient’s hepatitis C treatment…

04:36 04:44

Also to help them adhere to treatment, because people who have never been in an extended treatment and taken medications

04:44 04:49

have trouble following a continuous therapy.

04:49 04:53

This is where peer educators are necessary,

04:53 5:04

because we already received this treatment back in the day and we can give advice on how to encourage patients to take medications regularly and on time.

5:04 05:12

The most important thing for a positive treatment outcome is to mobilise all a person’s abilities, to summon all their strength

05:12 05:15

and to prepare the patient for life without hepatitis C.

05:15 05: 20
For a new life. A happy life.

Ihor Skalko, Former MSF Patient
05:20 5:28
For me, recovery is the moment when you are clear of a problem
05:28 05:34
that has been gnawing at you for many, many years and hasn’t allowed you to live in peace.
05:35 05: 41
After my second attempt at curing hepatitis C,
05:41 05:45
when I was finally told that I had completely overcome this severe illness,
05:45 05:52
I was overjoyed. I felt like going out, being happy, smiling at everyone.