8657 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

8657 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What progress, if any, has been made in the last quarter (October – December 2023) toward the objective ‘Develop and evaluate current and new potential approaches to testing strategies based on a current stocktake of proof of concepts and pilots’ under ‘Focus area 3: Testing and screening’ in the National Hepatitis C Action Plan?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that during the October – December 2023 quarter, planning begun on implementing a Hepatitis C national prototype testing project in Emergency Departments (EDs). The project will include selected EDs across the country and will be evaluated to inform wider adoption. I am also advised that during the quarter, the Canterbury Community Clinic commenced GeneXpert testing, which involves rapid PCR testing, as part of a South Island pilot.