Starting this year, people who test positive for hepatitis C in the national health checkup will receive financial support for confirmatory examinations.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Tuesday that starting in 2025, it will include the hepatitis C antibody test in the national health checkup and support those who test positive for antibodies to confirm the disease.
Last July, the National Health Checkup Committee decided to introduce the hepatitis C antibody test to the national health checkup. From 2025, people aged 56 and older can take the test as part of the checkup.
The hepatitis C antibody test is a selective test, which means that people who have been infected and cured in the past may test positive even if they are not currently patients. Therefore, a separate confirmatory test is required to confirm the infection.
Accordingly, if the patient is notified of a positive result for hepatitis C antibody in the national health checkup, the KDCA will pay the medical consultation fee and the co-payment for the confirmatory test in full for the first time.
Eligible for the hepatitis C confirmation test are those who have received a positive result for hepatitis C antibodies after undergoing a national health checkup at the age of 56 and have received a confirmation test at a nearby hospital or clinic by applying online or visiting a public health center.
In addition, to maximize support for the cost of the confirmation test, the application deadline has been set to “March of the year after the national health checkup” for those who receive it at the end of the year.
“We hope that the support for confirmatory tests for those who are positive for hepatitis C in the national health checkup will help to activate early detection and treatment of hepatitis C patients,” KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said. “The government will continue to lay the foundation for eradicating hepatitis C through various policies such as strengthening public awareness, developing clinical guidelines, and managing high-risk groups.”