Report from World Hepatitis Day in Croatia

World Hepatitis Day 2010 in Zagreb

The non-governmental organisation HULOH/CATIH “Hepatos” coordinated World Hepatitis Day 2010 in the Republic of Croatia together with the WHO Croatia Country Office, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, City of Zagreb, and members of the Croatian Alliance of Hepatitis Patients Associations.

· Marking of the WHD 2010 has started on April, 29 with the reception in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. On that occasion representatives of the Ministry were handed in the World Hepatitis Alliance’s research results summarised in Viral Hepatitis: Global policy, and were also informed of the newest results in a fight against viral hepatitis. The Association's president expressed her satisfaction with so-far cooperation with the Ministry; acting on the referral from the Ministry and on grounds of the contract of cooperation with the Republic of Croatia, the WHO declared the Hepatos as the National Focal Point for hepatitis C, as the first as up to now the only civil society organization dealing with hepatitis issues. Nomination of Hepatos for the National Focal Point for hepatitis C of the World Health Organization confirms that the Association is recognized and acknowledged by the international and national professional community in the fight against viral hepatitides. This is the result of a ten-year commitment to work to improve the quality of life and enable direct assistance to hepatitis patients; of preventive and public health activities, advocacy and lobbying and amending the laws in the interests of patients, of contributing to the democratization and anti-discrimination and of strengthening of our own capacities.

· An extensive media campaign with more than 50 appearances, including major talk shows, was organised.

· We sent appropriate information and educational materials to all Members of Croatian Parliament, journalists, doctors, representatives of civil society organisations and other stakeholders and asked them to support us in our work.

· On May 19, on the occasion of marking of the World Hepatitis Day there was a Symposium and the media conference at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljevic” in Zagreb.

· We coordinated INFO DAYS and helped setting up the info-points across the country in 7 biggest cities in Croatia (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Dubrovnik, Pula and Koprivnica) with the distribution of informative and educational materials.

· The central event of this year marking WHD was a tour of a theatre play “Blood Born Enemy” in Zagreb, Rijeka and Koprivnica.