title: Expanding access to treatment for hepatitis C in resource-limited settings: lessons from HIV/AIDS.
abstract: The need to improve access to care and treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in resource-limited settings is receiving increasing attention. Key priorities for scaling up HCV treatment and care include reducing the cost of current and future treatment; simplifying the package of care; identifying opportunities to shift specific tasks to nonspecialists to overcome human resource constraints; service integration with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinics, prison health services, and needle syringe and oral substitution therapy programs; improving surveillance, monitoring, and research; encouraging patient and community engagement; focusing specifically on the needs of vulnerable groups; and increasing financial and political commitment. Many of these obstacles have been addressed in rolling out treatment for human immunodeficiency virus during the last decade, and a number of lessons can be drawn to help improve access to HCV care.
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland. nathan.ford@msf.org
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Kasha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Graham S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Tido
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Schoen-Angerer
authors.forename: Adeeba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamarulzaman
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: du Cros
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003906:Developing Countries; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents