Today, on Monday 12 January 2015, PRAKSIS presented the intervention results of the Campaign around Information and Testing for Hepatitis B. The campaign had a geographical focus on Ilia, Achaia and Western Attica.
Mr. Tzanettos Antipas, President of PRAKSIS, was the introducer of the Press Conference and he referred not only to PRAKSIS’ interventions around public health issues since 2007, but also to the close collaboration between PRAKSIS’s social services and the services of the Hospitals and the Ministries. The latter had as a result the best possible usage of all the instruments and circulars around uninsured and people without legal documents, positive to the quick testing of Hepatitis B.
Mrs. Voudouri Niki, Coordinator of PRAKSIS’ Medical Services, provided the information that a total of 2,633 Hepatitis B testing had been performed, with the 252 of them to individuals intimate to the Hepatitis B positive. 49% of the aforementioned tests took place inside PRAKSIS, 28% in Western Attica, 15% in Ilia and 8% in Achaia. A large percentage of the individuals who were examined inside PRAKSIS, derived from Western Attica, and more in particular from people who were informed during our interventions but wanted for several reasons to be examined in our structures.35 of them were found positive to Hepatitis B and 31% of the latter (1/3) were not able to access public health structures. PRAKSIS social services in cooperation with the hospitals’ hepatologists managed to settle 100% of the created ‘accessibility’ problems. The main goal of the Organization is to re-contact with the population that is going to need treatment within the next six months so as to determine whether the latter remained inside the health system.
Mrs. Kloka Marianella, Responsible for Bidding Rights, outlined the collaboration PRAKSIS had with the municipality authorities, elected in May 2014, during the elections of Local government. One of the most prominent examples has been the Municipality of Fili. She also referred to the ongoing cooperation with the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health, having as main outcome to inform the public about HIV and Hepatitis B & C through a TV spot under the auspices of the Ministry. As a result, new working areas not only in Ilia but also in Achaia and in the municipalities of western Attica have been created. The phone calls to the information line of PRAKSIS have been also increased (free calls from landline: 800 11 11 600, free calls from mobile: 2108250600) for questions concerning the Hepatitis B (from 138 calls in September 2014, to 162 in October, 183 in November and 186 in December).
Afterwards, there was a five-minute speech by Mr. Souvli Ploutarchos, union representative of the organization “IPARCHO” (Greek patients with liver transplant) and by Mr. Kalamitsis George, Presient of the association of liver patients, “PROMETHEUS”.
The journalist of HEALTHDAILY, Mrs. Aggelopoulou Anthi, was the coordinator of the panel.
* The whole campaign was designed and delivered under another campaign named PROTA ROTA, which had as main goal the promotion of Public Health
* The scientific editing of the used papers was performed by the Greek Society for the Study of Liver
* The campaign was held with the kind support of the company Bristol Myers Squibb, which we sincerely thank.