NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on Tuesday called for a Hepatitis-Mukt Bharat, urging collective action by the Government, States and stakeholders to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

 

Delivering the keynote address at an event organised to observe World Hepatitis Day 2026 under the global theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, Patel said the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), launched on World Hepatitis Day in 2018 under the National Health Mission, reflects India’s commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

 

“India is marking eight years of the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, during which substantial progress has been made in prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up,” she said.

 

The Minister of State noted that “India is among the few countries providing free-of-cost treatment for Hepatitis C and management of Hepatitis B, while continuing to improve access and affordability of services.”

 

She highlighted that “the cost of medicines has been reduced to less than one dollar, while quality diagnostics are being made increasingly accessible to facilitate early identification and timely treatment.”

 

The Minister said that the programme has been expanded in a phased manner. Initially, treatment services for uncomplicated cases were strengthened at district health facilities, while selected institutions were strengthened to provide referral services for complicated cases.

 

Thereafter, screening and treatment services were expanded to the country's network of more than 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, thereby expanding access to hepatitis services at the primary healthcare level, she said.

 

Patel also released Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, including posters on Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, highlighting modes of transmission and services available under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) for dissemination across States and Union Territories.