Expanding Lifesaving Hepatitis Care

Rwanda

Hepatitis C—which can cause liver damage, cancer, and death—affects 3% of the population in Rwanda. In 2014, a new hepatitis C drug was approved in the United States and underwent clinical studies in Rwanda, with groundbreaking results: 87% of patients were cured.

Inshuti Mu Buzima, as PIH is known in Rwanda, supported the Rwandan Ministry of Health in providing free screening and treatment to over 50,000 patients, expanding the health workforce, and capturing data to monitor progress. The program is already being replicated in other nations, potentially saving thousands more lives.