(File photo)
MANILA, Philippines — A liver disease specialist has urged the national government to expand funding for hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment, warning that thousands of Filipinos die from a largely preventable disease because of inadequate financing.
In a statement marking World Hepatitis Day on July 28, gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist Dr. Janus Ong said the Philippines already has the tools to prevent hepatitis-related liver cancer, but many patients remain undiagnosed or untreated due to gaps in funding.
He called on the government to operationalize a fully-staffed national hepatitis program, where every local government unit (LGU) can draw on a common supply of medicines and systems, instead of depending on their meager local budgets.
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