3806 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

3806 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What progress has been made in the last quarter (October to December 2023) to ‘Improve the detection and management of hepatitis B and C’ under Outcome 3: New Zealanders have fewer cancers, as part of the New Zealand Cancer Action Plan 2019 – 2029?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that during the October to December 2023 quarter, members of the hepatitis C project team continued to implement the National Hepatitis C Action Plan for Aotearoa New Zealand 2020 – 2030. The focus has been on: • Delivering regional initiatives to promote testing and treatment, including point of care testing, with Corrections facilities; Māori providers; needle exchanges; sexual health clinics, and other community-based and outreach services. • Promoting the new national hepatitis C Health Pathway in primary care and publishing promotional resources for primary care. • Developing processes and training with the Nursing Council and Pharmacy Council to enable nurses and pharmacists to be credentialled to collaborate in the treatment of hepatitis C. • Progressing modelling to inform updates of hepatitis C population estimates for New Zealand. I am further advised that the Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand has been focusing on delivering support to high priority hepatitis B patients, including those at increased risk of liver cancer, and those with overdue blood tests. Work over the October to December 2023 quarter included: • Improving processes to help GPs both identify patients with chronic hepatitis B to enroll them in the follow up programme, and to flag patients on who are overdue hepatitis serology. • Partnering with Māori and Pacific health providers to identify patients with chronic hepatitis B. • Providing in-service education to GPs and community health care organisations.