Hepatitis C Treatment Targets in Scotland

I am a former patient who cleared the virus in 2013. Since then, I have volunteered with Waverley Care, been a peer educator for The Hepatitis C Trust, contributed to the Hepatitis C Voices patient group, and currently work for the Scottish Drugs Forum Addiction Worker Training Project.
In late 2017, The Hepatitis C Trust met with several MSPs to discuss the need for more ambitious treatment targets and universal access to treatment, including Johann Lamont MSP, Donald Cameron MSP, Miles Briggs MSP, Alison Johnstone MSP, and Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP. In the last six months, The Hepatitis C Trust has also co-ordinated several visits by MSPs to local hospitals and health services, to facilitate discussion between MSPs, clinicians, and patients on the issue.
In the summer of 2017, The Hepatitis C Trust held an inquiry into hepatitis C elimination in Scotland, which was supported and co-ordinated by engaged MSPs, and took evidence from leading clinicians, charities, and patients. This evidence was brought together in the report Eliminating Hepatitis C: A Call to Action, published in January 2018. There was overall agreement from those participating in the inquiry that Scotland is not on track to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 based on current treatment numbers, and that the number of people being treated must be significantly increased.
The report was launched at a parliamentary event with MSPs from four parties in attendance, and backed by a cross-party group of Parliamentary Champions giving their support to its findings.
The Hepatitis C Trust has been co-ordinating a group of committed MSPs advocating for the elimination of hepatitis C since 2014, in addition to broader patient advocacy activity across Scotland.