Peer-reviewed article
National viral hepatitis control program in India: current status and SWOT analysis
Alanah Bethany Syiemlieh, Madhu Kumari Upadhyay ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This review looks at India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Program, launched in 2018, and how far it has come toward the 2030 elimination goals. The authors searched guidelines, policy documents and review articles, then organised what they found as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The program has strong government commitment and free diagnosis and treatment, but has gaps in testing capacity, trained staff and hepatitis B vaccine supply. Preventing mother-to-child transmission is also a gap, and children do not get free treatment. The authors say these gaps must be closed with a focus on equity to reach the 2030 targets.
Key points
- The program launched in 2018 and has strong government commitment, national guidelines, and free diagnosis and treatment.
- Weaknesses include insufficient diagnostic infrastructure, limited molecular testing, and too few trained staff at peripheral centres.
- Hepatitis B vaccine supply is erratic, there are gaps in preventing vertical transmission, and there is no free treatment for children.
- Opportunities include newer WHO guidelines extending treatment to children and adolescents, point-of-care and dried blood spot testing, and a treat-all approach.
- Threats include competing health programs taking resources, people dropping out of the diagnosis-treatment cascade, stigma, and limited participation by private practitioners.
Limitations
This is a narrative review of guidelines and policy documents with a SWOT framing, not an evaluation of outcomes, and it gives no measured effects on children. It covers the whole population, so child-specific findings are only a small part of it.
Abstract
Viral hepatitis is a public health problem in India. The National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP) launched in 2018 paved a way in India’s journey towards universal health coverage but gaps remain in diagnostics, peripheral capacity, vaccine supply, and pediatric treatment access. This review maps the history of the program in India, its current status, gaps, and opportunities toward the 2030 elimination goals. For the purpose of this review, a comprehensive search of literature was conducted examining technical and operational guidelines, management protocols, policy documents, and review articles to understand India's journey towards viral hepatitis control. The program demonstrates multiple strengths including strong government commitment, comprehensive national guidelines, free diagnosis and treatment services, robust preventive strategies, and trained master trainers. However, several weaknesses exist as well like insufficient diagnostic infrastructure, limited molecular testing capacity, inadequate trained manpower at peripheral centers, erratic hepatitis B vaccine supply, vertical transmission prevention gaps, and no free treatment provision for children. The opportunities outlined include newer WHO guidelines extending treatment to children and adolescents, point-of-care diagnostic facilities, public-private partnerships, one-stop centers, dried blood spot testing, treat-all approaches, and establishing an adult immunization program. Major threats foreseen are competing national health programs diverting resources, dropout from diagnosis-treatment cascade, public and healthcare worker stigma, and limited private practitioner participation in the program. Although NVHCP has a robust framework aligned with global strategies, addressing gaps in awareness, logistics, and peripheral-level manpower through equity-focused innovation is essential to achieve 2030 elimination targets and advance universal health coverage.