RoHepat Summit | Rohepat

DRAFT agenda

09.00 – 09.30

Registration & welcome coffee

09.30 - 09:40

GOOD NEWS IS HERE (LIVE INTERVIEW)

Romania’s commitment for viral hepatitis control & elimination: progress is here and it is challenging, since the final destination has not been reached.

Video interview:

Sorina Pintea, Minister of Health

Moderator: Liliana Munteanu, Project Leader, Point Public Affairs

09.40 - 09:55

HEPATITIS ELIMINATION: SPENDING IS SAVING (LIVE INTERVIEW)

A live conversation about sustainable financing options for viral hepatitis elimination

Live interview with Adriana Cotel, President, National Health Insurance House

09:55 - 11:30

DARE TO BELIEVE (PANNEL DISCUSSIONS)

Europe without hepatitis. Hepatitis control & elimination needs policy continuity, boldness to follow the objectives, imagination, power to challenge the status quo and proactivity in embracing change.

Europe without hepatitis. One vision, several pathways. Mapping the European advocacy priorities on fighting hepatitis: the way from ”control” to ”elimination”. Building trans-European bridges.
Providing policy decision support for HepC elimination. Tracking public health policies with the aim of HepC elimination till 2030. What it takes to shape the right policies to ensure screening, prevention, treatment and proper continuous financing?
According to WHO ”political will is the biggest predictor of whether a country will achieve the 2030 elimination targets”. Supposing the political will is in place. What next is needed?
Who is driving the change? What is the cost of change?

PANELISTS:

Diana Loreta Paun, State Counsellor, Romanian Presidency, member of RoHepat Initiative Group

Tiberius Marius Brădăţan, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health

Cristian Bușoi, member of European Parliament, RoHepat EU Ambassador, President, MEP Friends of the Liver
Elena Cristina Dinu, Secretary, Committee for Health and Family, Chamber of Deputies, member of RoHepat Initiative Group

Henrique Lopes, Professor and Researcher of Public Health at Unidade de Saúde Pública of ICS, Scientific Coordinator of Let’s End Hep C Project, Portugal

Liana Gheorghe, Member of the National Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Marko Korenjak, President, European Liver Patients’ Association / ELPA

Jorge Ruiz Benecke, General Manager, Abbvie Romania

Boris Azais, Director Public Policy Europe Canada, Merck Sharp & Dohme

Mariana Gaju, member of the EU’s Assembly of the Regional and Local Representatives, Mayor of Cumpana Village

11:30 - 11:45

Coffee break

11:45 - 14:00

THE COUNTDOWN / 2020-2030 (PANNEL DISCUSSIONS)

There are key moments in the histroy of any system which have the potential to generate sustainable changes. Could it be possible for hepatitis to become a rare disease in Romania? Is 2019 the year when the countdown begins? Romania has a National Program for Viral Hepatitis Control. Can we design a priority plan within the wider National Strategy, through a clear, trackable action plan? Do we have the right policy design and capacity – building?

Technicalities & practicalities:

Testing / Screening. Information is power. Where are we now? What are the specific, tangible next steps to take? How long it will take till a national viral hepatitis monitoring system is put in place? Status and timeline perspective. The results of the newly launched complementary Integrated Pilot Program for High Risk Hepatitis C Patients (screening / diagnosis / treatment). How do we deal with the outcomes of this pilot project?
Treatment. Leading the patients through a 360-comprehensive journey: screening, diagnosis and treatment. Fair access to treatment. The need of a long-term nationwide program to ensure the continuous access to test & treatment. Practicalities & next steps.
Finance. What is the economics of Hepatitis as per today? Is hepatitis C elimination cost saving? How do we fund the National Hepatitis Control Strategy? Do we have substantial sources of funding to implement the National Strategy, so that the programs are continuous and substantial? Can we tackle any innovative strategies for funding the fight against viral hepatitis?
Dealing with vulnerabilities: who is to be involved in the prevention, education and support of the uninsured and vulnerable population?

PANELISTS:

Corina Pop, Counsellor, Ministry of Health, member of RoHepat Initiative Group

Adrian Streinu Cercel, Manager, Matei Bals Institute, member of RoHepat Initiative Group

Juergen Rockstroh, President, EACS - The European AIDS Clinical Society

Mircea Manuc, President, Gastroenterology Commission – Ministry of Health

Oana Mocanu, Director, National Health Insurance House
Sorin Paveliu, Health expert, ISPOR Romania
Marinela Debu, President, Patients with Hepatic Impairment Association, member of RoHepat Initiative Group

Silvana Lesidrenska, Chair, HepActive Patient Organization, Bulgaria

Krasimir Antonov, Chair, Bulgarian Gastroenterology Society, Bulgaria

Bela Hunyady, Co - Chair, National Hepatitis Centre, Hungary

Krzysztof Tomasiewicz, Member of the board of Polish Hepatological Society, Vice-President of the Polish Society of Epidemiologists and Doctors of Infectious Disease, Poland

Florin Manole, member of the Work and Social Protection Commitee, Chamber of Deputies

Dina Mergeani, President, The Romanian National Society of Family Medicine (SNMF)

Lidia Onofrei, Adviser, Ministry of Health

14:00 - 15:00

LUNCH

RATIONALE

There are key moments in the histroy of any system which have the potential to generate sustainable changes. Is viral hepatitis going to become a rare disease in Romania? Is 2019 the very year when the COUNTDOWN begins?

Romania ranks second in EU for HCV and HBV infections. In Europe, the Center for Disease Analysis estimates that there are 3 MM people infected with hepatitis virus, out of which only 1,2 MM are diagnosed, 1 MM treated and 500,000 cured.

The pressure of this reality determined WHO and EU governments to position viral hepatitis control & elimination as an issue of public policy priority. Romania, as part of the European concert, has recently issued its National Plan for Viral Hepatitis Control, a strategic document which has the potential to generate the qualitative shifts everybody is looking for. Nevertheless, the national endeavours are part of a bigger picture. Europe without viral hepatitis addresses one vision, several challenging pathways and interesting lessons to learn.

RoHepat Summit provokes stakeholders to share and debate ideas, visions and inspiration which could make the National Plan for Hepatitis Control a viable and sustainable one.

RoHepat Summit is part of the RoHepat Platform, an advocay project instrumented by Point Public Affairs, which gathers relevant actors for viral hepatitis policies in strategic dialogues, meant to shape an efficient and effective strategy for viral hepatitis contoil & elimination. The project is developed unde the auspicies of the Health Commitee of the Romanian Senate and MEP Friends of the Liver (Bruxelles).