Advocacy can’t wait
World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is the perfect day to remind decision makers, policymakers and those in power about the need for action on viral hepatitis. Before you start approaching people you need to set out what you are trying to change. Advocacy messages can be about increased access to vaccines and treatment, increased political prioritization, more funding for viral hepatitis or to highlight injustices to the hepatitis response.
Once you have defined what you are trying to change you will need to identify who you are going to target. This may be government ministers, global funders, local leaders or institutions.
Once you know what you want to achieve, it is necessary to understand the people and institutions you need to influence to make it happen. After people living with viral hepatitis, decision-makers are most likely to be your most important advocacy stakeholder. These are the people with the power to bring about change and usually work in places of influence such as governments, the media or corporations.
You shouldn’t just focus on key stakeholders you want to influence for change. Think more broadly about other stakeholders who can support your activities. The participation of a wide range of stakeholders can generate broader support for specific issues and increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of advocacy campaigns. Choosing the right partner can increase access to decision-makers, provide technical expertise, support evidence gathering and mitigate risks.
How to engage with your policymakers
Lobbying
Lobbying is defined as an attempt to try to influence the thinking of decision-makers for or against a specific issue or cause you care about. It includes meetings, writing letters, making phone calls, and other tactics. Lobbying isn’t just for professionals, it’s a way for us all to take a stand for what we believe in.
Lobbying is most effective when you have a set of objectives, you know your audience, understand the legislative calendar and know the influencers. Hopefully by now, you will have all this information to hand.
Writing a letter
Letters may seem basic, but they are powerful tools to get your messages across. Writing letters to your policymaker is most impactful when you can get other organisations involved. For example, the more signatures or the number of letters sent, the more the issue becomes a priority.
Setting up a meeting
It may seem rudimental, but one of the key points of lobbying is understanding how to set up a meeting. In the UK for example, MPs have regular surgeries to meet constituents, often on a Friday. It’s important to have a clear sense of when and what you want to speak about. This will increase your chances of securing that meeting
Preparing a briefing paper
An important note to remember is that policymakers aren’t always experts. They rely on advocates like us to provide them with the information. Therefore, it’s important to be accurate, clear and concise with your aims. A briefing paper is always a good resource to bring to the meeting. It should outline your cause and be tailored to that decision-maker’s remit of influence. Don’t forget to bring a couple of copies as they are useful to leave behind.
How to use the stories of the affected community
Don’t underestimate the power of the human story. It can be a big step for someone living with hepatitis to discuss their story in public. The stories of those living with or impacted by viral hepatitis can help educate and raise awareness, provide support and inspiration, tackle stigma and discrimination, and highlight the true impact of this global disease.
Letter template
Dear Minister,
In 2016, at the 69th World Health Assembly, your government made a commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, as set out in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis.[i] With less than 10 years to go, only a handful of countries are on track to eliminate hepatitis C, and progress towards eliminating hepatitis B is lagging as well.[ii]
We, the undersigned, now call on you to honour your commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
Hepatitis Can’t Wait!
Viral hepatitis affects 325 million people worldwide and claims 4,000 lives every day, more than malaria and HIV combined. Yet, all the tools to reach elimination exist; we have effective treatments and a vaccine to protect children from hepatitis B infection and an easily administered cure for hepatitis C. Elimination can be reached with concerted – and properly resourced – action.
Viral hepatitis elimination by 2030 will prevent seven million deaths from hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In all countries, viral hepatitis elimination is a cost-effective investment with long-term savings to health systems. The global financial outlook should only increase your willingness to invest in hepatitis elimination and benefit from cost saving health outcomes that strengthen health systems and aid preparation for the next health crises. [iii]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the importance of decisive political leadership to coordinate effective responses from healthcare systems for the community and to provide adequate resources to save lives. Viral hepatitis is no different. Strong political leadership, which works hand-in-hand with the healthcare systems, civil society and the affected community, can drive forward efforts to eliminate hepatitis and save millions of lives.
Numerous countries are scaling-up services to achieve viral hepatitis elimination by 2030, implementing WHO’s regional and global action plans. Yet, despite the availability of reliable and accurate tests for diagnosis; approved, affordable treatments that work; and a safe and effective vaccine, millions continue to die. The viral hepatitis community demands action.
To achieve the historic outcome of elimination by 2030, we call on you to:
1) Prioritise and scale-up hepatitis elimination prevention, testing and treatment programmes ensuring no one is left behind.
The tools to eliminate viral hepatitis exist, but without an urgent scaling-up of services the opportunity to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 will be lost. This includes embedding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B into maternal and child health services through hepatitis screening and linkage to care for pregnant mothers and vaccination for new born children.
In scaling up services, special focus should also be given to the most disproportionately affected communities. These communities are also the most underserved by health systems, including refugees and displaced people, migrant populations, people who inject drugs and people in prison. Through effective collaboration with civil society, rapid scale-up can be achieved in these communities. Evidence shows that the countries furthest ahead with hepatitis elimination involve civil society at all levels of health systems, including the development and implementation of programmes. [iv]
2) Make viral hepatitis prevention, vaccination, testing and treatment part of the package of services for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes.
Viral hepatitis vaccination, screening and treatment should be integrated into health services as they evolve to achieve UHC in line with WHO recommendations. The United Nations Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, adopted during the United Nation General Assembly in September 2019, includes the strengthening of hepatitis responses and integrating them into efforts to tackle other communicable diseases. [v]
Hepatitis elimination can also help to strengthen responses to non-communicable diseases as set out in paragraph 33 of the UN Political Declaration on UHC. [v] As the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide, viral hepatitis elimination could greatly reduce the rates of cancer deaths but only if we can find the millions of people who are unaware they are living with the condition.
3) Implement proven models of community-based hepatitis services, tailored to meet the needs of the affected communities.
The 290 million people living with viral hepatitis unaware need to be found, diagnosed, and linked to care. In 2019 the leading international liver societies called for decentralisation of services to front line workers and task shifting. We must make these life-saving testing, vaccination and treatment services more accessible to the community. [vi]. With COVID-19 making people fearful about entering traditional health care settings, it is crucial that community-led health care is able to provide prevention, testing and treatment services to improve service access and address stigma and discrimination. We encourage countries to explore opportunities where the decentralisation of services can make services more effective. This includes more nurse-led and pharmacist-led models of care which recognise the vital role of peer support in engaging communities.
Now is the time to act. We have the rare opportunity to eliminate the second deadliest infectious disease and avert 7 million deaths by 2030. We urge you to seize this opportunity.
Policymakers Can’t Wait
Signed on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day 2021 by
[your name will go here]
References
[i] https://www.who.int/hepatitis/strategy2016-2021/ghss-hep/en/
[ii] https://cdafound.org/polaris/
[iii] https://www.who.int/hepatitis/news-events/eliminating-hepatitis-costs-but-saves-more/en/
[iv] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589555919300321
[v] ‘32. to Strengthen efforts to address communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis as part of universal health coverage and to ensure that the fragile gains are sustained and expanded by advancing comprehensive approaches and integrated service delivery and ensuring that no one is left behind; ‘ – UN Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage 2019
[v] ‘33. Further strengthen efforts to address non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, as part of universal health coverage;’ -UN Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage 2019
[vi] https://www.aasld.org/programs-initiatives/viral-hepatitis-elimination-call-action