Full Coverage for First Confirmatory Test
for Residents Aged 56 Testing Positive
Jeollanam-do announced on the 11th that starting this year, residents who are 56 years old can receive a hepatitis C antibody test when undergoing the national health screening.
In particular, for residents who receive a positive result for hepatitis C antibodies during the national health screening, the province will fully cover the first-time out-of-pocket costs for the confirmatory diagnostic test (HCV RNA genetic detection test) and the consultation fee.
The hepatitis C antibody test is a screening test. Even if the result is positive, it does not necessarily mean the person is a "hepatitis C patient," so a separate confirmatory test is required to determine infection. This is because a positive result may also occur in people who currently have hepatitis C, or in those who were infected in the past but have been treated and are no longer patients.
Those eligible for support are residents who receive a positive hepatitis C antibody result after the national health screening and undergo a confirmatory test at a nearby clinic or hospital (excluding general hospitals). Applications can be easily submitted online through the "Government24" website.
If online application is difficult, residents can visit a nearby public health center in person to apply. For those who undergo the national health screening at the end of the year, the application deadline is set as "by March of the following year after the screening."
The province has been implementing the nation’s first hepatitis C elimination project since 2023, focusing on seven coastal counties?Goheung, Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, Wando, Jindo, and Shinan?where hepatitis C prevalence is high.
By last year, about 20,000 antibody tests had been conducted, and for those who tested positive in the confirmatory RNA test (30 people), the province supported the costs of testing, outpatient care, and medication. In 2024, the number of hepatitis C patients per 100,000 people in Jeollanam-do is 23.6 (provisional), which is significantly higher than the national average (12.5), ranking second highest in the country.
Lee Sangsim, Director of Health and Welfare, said, "Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through a patient’s blood or body fluids. Although there is no preventive vaccine, the disease can be completely cured with medication, so we hope that supporting confirmatory test costs for positive individuals will help with early detection and promote active treatment."
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