From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A medical expert, Dr. Roheem Yussuf, has urged the government at all levels to subsidize the treatment of hepatitis to support the have-nots in society.
Yussuf who is a senior Doctor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, stressed that subsidizing the treatment would help in preventing untimely death.
He stated this at the 39th Anniversary of Akhbaru-deen ‘Existence In Dawah Activities’ of Akhbaru-deen Muslim Society, Osogbo.
He advised people to go for medical checkups to know their status on Hepatitis B, saying that early detection would help in managing the disease.
The medical expert who lamented the cost of medications for the treatment of Hepatitis B maintained that the best way to reduce casualty occasioned by the disease is to subsidize the treatment.
He said, “The common course of hepatitis that we know around is the one that is caused by infectious agents which include bacteria, virus, fungal and other viruses that attack the livers.
“We want the government to also look for a way of subsidizing some of the investigations that we do to evaluate patients for hepatitis B, including the treatment, to make treatment available free of charge. Like how it’s been done for HIV/AIDS. We know HIV treatment is available for free.
“This is what we want the government to improve on. The government has been trying to sensitize people on World hepatitis-B Day. It has been commemorated every July 28 and government should do more by subsidizing the treatment or making them free. One of the problems we have with the treatment is the cost of the medications,” he said.