As part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Hepatitis Day, Mega Lifesciences Ghana Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company, has partnered with the Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases (GASLIDD) to launch a nationwide initiative aimed at screening 19,000 Ghanaians for Hepatitis B and C—free of charge.
This year’s World Hepatitis Day, which falls on Monday, July 28, is themed “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down.” The global campaign calls for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social, and systemic barriers—including stigma—that hinder the elimination of hepatitis and the prevention of liver cancer.
Chronic Hepatitis B and C are known as “silent killers,” often going undetected until they have caused significant liver damage or cancer. Despite being preventable, treatable, and in the case of Hepatitis C, curable, hepatitis continues to be a major global health challenge. The theme emphasizes the importance of scaling up and integrating hepatitis services—including vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction, testing, and treatment—into national health systems.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2022, over 300 million people were living with chronic Hepatitis B and C globally, with 95% unaware of their status. In Ghana, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) estimates that approximately 3 million people are living with Hepatitis B, and 900,000 with Hepatitis C.
The high prevalence and low awareness levels contribute to the fact that chronic liver diseases, including hepatitis, rank among the top causes of death in Ghana, as reported by GHS in 2022.
Dr. Nii Sekoh Abbey-Ashong, Product Manager of Mega Lifesciences Ghana, emphasized the urgent need for multi-sectoral collaboration to raise awareness, increase vaccination rates, and improve access to treatment for viral hepatitis in Ghana.
Echoing this call, Mr. Sandip Mahale, Country Manager of Mega Lifesciences Ghana, stated:
“As a committed stakeholder in liver health through our long-standing support and distribution of Livolin Forte—a trusted liver health supplement in Ghana—we recognize the need to collaborate with organizations like GASLIDD to close the awareness, vaccination, and treatment gaps in hepatitis management. Over the past four years, as part of our corporate social responsibility, Mega has continually invested in partnerships with doctors, pharmacists, and nurses to empower more Ghanaians to know their hepatitis status.”
The 2025 campaign, in collaboration with gastroenterologists and GASLIDD, aims to screen 17,500 people across various regions, helping to expand access to diagnosis and early intervention.
This initiative is a timely reminder that ending hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 is possible—but only with coordinated, urgent, and sustained action.
