This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.
May 15, 2015 – Victoria, BC: Scott Fraser, Opposition MLA for Alberni/Pacific Rim, asked these questions of Health Minister Terry Lake today during the “Health Estimates” session:
Fraser: As far as context goes, I lost a close friend in Tofino a few years ago to hepatitis C, so I want to ask a few questions. I’m not going to have time to ask all of them, so I will read some into the record as concisely as possible when I run out of time, which will be very soon, and I’d like to have a written answer to those.
If I could just start…. I just want to acknowledge that there have been some big advancements made in direct-acting antivirals. They show a lot of promise for people that have been diagnosed with hep C, and I appreciate that. But only a small portion of those that have been diagnosed with hepatitis C are actually getting treatment.
The question that I’d like to ask directly to the minister is…. I understand that treatment is expensive, but not treating early is more expensive down the road. So how is the minister justifying not opening up treatment to all people who are infected with hepatitis C? That would be my first question.
Hon. T. Lake: The new hepatitis C drugs are such an improvement over what we have had previously, and we have approved recently two new hepatitis C drugs that are extremely effective. But like every province that has approved these types of drugs, they are approved on a clinical practice guideline basis. They first of all have to have the right type of genotype of the hepatitis C in order to qualify because they are only effective against certain genotypes of the virus. The score, or, in other words, the severity of hepatitis has to meet a certain threshold before people would qualify.
The member is saying: well, why don’t you just open it up to everyone who has hepatitis? And the answer is: managing scarce resources, as we do with everything we do in health care. We don’t replace hips at the first sign of degenerative arthritis. It is managed, and the surgery is undertaken when the situation warrants.
At the cost of these drugs, which are tens of thousands of dollars per person…. They are extremely expensive, and the assumption that it would save money I’m not sure is clearly defined. As every province, we are putting clinical guidelines around the prescription of these hepatitis drugs. We know it will make a big difference for those that are on the medications, those that are in most need. And as the cost of those drugs comes down, like everything else, we will review, and if we’re able to make those changes, then we will certainly consider doing that in the future.
Fraser: I know, and the minister knows, too, that the costs of cirrhosis, which will or can develop, or other complications or liver transplants are far, far in excess of the costs of the medication if it’s provided early. I understand that the antivirals are expensive. I’ve stated that. But I’ll move on.I’m going to ask around few questions to the minister right now that I was hoping to get a written answer, just in the interest of time….
Interjections
Fraser: No, we are running out of time.
The first one for written answers I’m hoping for is: who will be screened? When people are screened and found to be infected, which ones will be treated?
I’d also like to raise the issue in the context of the geography. Somebody in Dawson Creek is diagnosed. Are they going to have access to treatments that may be available in Vancouver? People in northern and remote communities and First Nations peoples — an especially high estimated number in aboriginal communities are infected. What’s the strategy for dealing with that?
Then 35 percent of people who have hep C are people born outside of Canada, and the minister, I’m sure, is aware that language can be a barrier there for education. What kind of outreach is planned to try to address that?
GPs or nurses. When will they be trained specifically and certified to treat hepatitis C? Not all GPs are, so I’m just wondering if we can get some edification on that.
What programs does the B.C. government have available to educate prisoners about diseases like hep C? They’re particularly vulnerable to that, both current and former prisoners who may have been exposed.
What is being done by the B.C. government to acknowledge and support National Aboriginal Hepatitis C Awareness Month? If there’s a particular program in place for that, it would be very helpful to know that.
I still have a few minutes, according to my ten minutes that I was given, so I just wanted to raise a completely different issue. I wish we had more time so that I could actually hear these answers on the hepatitis.
NOTE from HepCBC: On Monday, May 25th from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, Cool Aid nurses and HepCBC will hold a public Hepatitis C info session for BC’s MLAs combined with a HEP-C TEST-IN session at Parliament Building in the Hemlock Room and the First Aid room. So far one MLA has agreed to the test, but all will be invited. We hope the press will be there to cover several MLAs “rolling up their sleeves” to emphasize the importance of HCV testing, particularly for Baby Boomers who may have it and not know it, putting them in danger of liver failure and several types of cancer. Opposition Health Critic and Victoria MP Murray Rankin did a public test for hepatitis C last month in Victoria at Percuro Clinic. See photos here: http://hepcbc.bchep.org/2015/04/mp-health-critic-murray-rankin-gets-tested-for-hepatitis-c/.