James
sounds frustrating but typical. At lease you got to give some useful ideas to the PBS person. From my experience the Dept of Health need all the expertise they can get!

From your description it sounds like they were pretty deadpan and unhelpful.

Did they show
– a genuine interest or understanding of the effects of the disease? or
– just focus on the financial impact – from their point of view?

I was going to suggest targeting the minister for social services to raise the productivity implications of not treating, but I see it is that conservative Christian Porter bloke from WA…..

James-Freeman-facebook wrote:
How Hep C has impacted on you and your family
The mental torment of knowing cure exists but is unavailable
Your views on the Buyers Club and parallel imports being facilitated by others
Your views about Big Pharma pricing
Your suggestions about what Government can do to help (without breaking the budget)

James,
Buyers club excellent and urgently needed – but only a solution in light of the fact that treatment is not available otherwise. Govy urgerntly needs to support a fair , equitable response to HCV in the community.

Also buyers club is not accessible to everyone. Not sure how many people can afford to pay 2000-3000 AUD for treatment. I am lucky i can afford ti – but that shouldn’t exclude other people from treatment if they want/need it.

The community understands that pharma needs to recoup their costs, but it is not fair that they can use their needs for excessive profits to screw the PBS. Banks are the same – but I digress.

HCV has had a huge impact on my productivity for 30 years.

For the last 10-15 years I have only been able to work part time due to ill health related to HCV.. This impact has gradually increased in the last few years. I am now 53 and still young but recently retired at took a package because i have been so ill. NB I have always looked after my health.
. Only in the last 1.5 year have i not been able to exercise at all. This made me unable to function at work. – Otherwise I would still be in the workforce.
Now with access to treatment through the buyers club, i anticipate being able to return to the workforce.eventually.

Govt should make an investment in this type of workforce participation by making treatments more easily available to all who need it.
Lizzie chan.

Hi I am a patient at the St Vincent’s clinic and have found them great. However my Gp told me they need to be extremely careful about how they approach this whole buyersclub thing. Due to hospital protocols. GPS have no such restrictions. That would explain why they aren’t prescribing.

That said I am sure they would no refuse treatment if you were to organise you own medication – but probably wouldn’t organise to do so in advance (IMO).

My Gp was impressed by the amt info available on the easl site and on this one for doctors, if that is any help……