Program-oriented approach to organizing care to patients with hepatitis in the Penza Region

The Penza Regional Center for Specialized Types of Medical Care has organized a regional medical center for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of viral hepatitis on its basis in order to enhance the efficiency of care delivered to patients with chronic hepatitis in the Penza Region with the framework of the special program "Prevention and Control of Social Diseases (2009-2012). The Center's tasks are to improve and commission the currently available methods for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of hepatitis and for epidemiological surveillance. The center comprises an around-the-clock hospital and a day hospital, an infectious diseases room, a room for ultrasound diagnosis using a Class 1 Logik-5 ultrasonic device and a Fibroscan apparatus for non-invasive liver elastometry, an endoscopic room, an X-ray room, a clinical diagnostic laboratory (carrying out enzyme immunoassay, polymerase chain reaction for genotyping, by employing a Termocycler apparatus for real-time nucleic acid amplification with the test system sensitivity of 15 IU/ml from HCV RNA and 5 IU/ml from HBV DNA). The center is equipped with a software database and establishing a register of the patients. The patients with hepatitis B and C are treated in compliance with the federal standards. The center is financed from the regional budget. The setting up of the center, financing and implementation of the special regional subprogram "Viral Hepatitis" permit diagnostic (clinical and laboratory instrumental) and therapeutic care to be rendered qualitatively, up to date, and within the existing federal standards.

viral hepatitis, medical care, program-oriented approachin