The UNITE Global Summit is UNITE’s annual event to promote political impact & momentum towards ending infectious diseases as a global health threat. This year’s event aims to secure political leadership as a key determinant to a fairer and equitable global health ecosystem that promotes health & well-being for all.
Virtual panel session
Tackling a Silent Epidemic: How can political leadership accelerate Hepatitis C control and treatment?
Hosted by Hepatitis C PACT
Date: Monday, 6 December 2021
Time: 14:00-15:30 GMT
Speakers:
- Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director General of Health, Malaysia
- Dr Mariam Jashi, EECA Regional Chair, UNITE and former President, Leading Group on Innovative Financing for Development
- Sergey Golovin, Intellectual Property and Access Lead, International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Dr Jorge Bermudez, Senior Professor/Researcher and Head of Department of Pharmaceutical Policies, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil
- Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister and Federal Minister, Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Pakistan
Moderator: Leena Menghaney, South-Asia Head and Global IP Advisor, MSF Access Campaign
Session overview
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, cancer, and death. Of the 58 million people with chronic HCV, only 13% (an estimated 9.4 million people) have had access to adequate treatment. Continuing disparities in access to diagnosis and treatment stand in the way of reaching World Health Organization (WHO) goals of controlling hepatitis C by 2030, and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) – home to 75% of those living with this viral illness – bear the overwhelming brunt of the global HCV burden.
Controlling HCV requires increased awareness and commitment among decision-makers in LMICs, roll-out of all-oral cures, scale-up of community-based testing to find the missing millions of undiagnosed people, and concerted effort to address domestic financial challenges that prevent the launch of national programmes.
This session will engage politicians, health ministries, advocates, and other key stakeholders in an exploration of the tools and actions needed to harness countries’ strategic capacity to ensure equitable access to HCV diagnosis and treatment and bring this silent epidemic to an end.
Access to innovation in health – Building hope for an equitable future
Hosted by UNITAID
Date: Monday, 6 December 2021
Time: 15:45-17:15 GMT
Addressing critical health barriers for the most vulnerable –innovative tools to address health emergencies, build resilient health systems and support universal health coverage
Moderator: Gisela Scaglia, Member of the Parliament, Argentina
Speakers:
- Robert Matiru, Programme Management, UNITAID
- François Bompart, Chair of the DNDi Access Committee, DNDi
- Maureen Murenga, Alternate Board Member Representing communities living with the diseases
Building political will to end neglected tropical diseases
Hosted by Uniting to Combat NTDs & Wellcome Trust
Date: Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Time: 10:45-12:15 GMT
Translating research into policy and practice
Moderator: Tamar Ghosh, Chief Executive, The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Speakers:
- Ymkje Stienstra, Professor of Medicine, tropical and poverty related infectious diseases, University of Gröningen
- Isabela Ribeiro, Head Dynamic Portfolio Unit, DNDi
- John Amuasi, Executive Director, African Research Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ARNTDs)
