2022 World Hepatitis Alliance Regional Board Member Elections

Patricia Velez-Moller – Guatemala

PAHO regional board member candidate

Vice – president, Asosiacion Guatemalteca del Higado

Patricia’s biography

Co-founder and Board Member of Guatemalan Liver Association, member of Guatemala National Task Force on Hepatitis, Board Member of World Hepatitis Alliance. As a medical professional, faculty member and patient with hepatitis C she has advocated against unawareness and stigma surrounding hepatitis and contributed to a better quality of life for those affected by viral hepatitis through different activities including the development of Ministry of Health Hepatitis B & C Guidelines, hepatitis vaccination and testing campaigns with linkage to care, patient education and continuing medical education (CME) to health professionals, as well as advising on viral hepatitis elimination efforts to different entities.

Patricia’s personal statement

I decided to apply for the position of regional board member of the World Hepatitis Alliance for PAHO because some members from Latin America asked for it because they feel supported by me.

During two periods (four years) as PAHO Board I have acquired comprehensive knowledge and experience in this position, have supported members who asked for and, above all, have the commitment to fight against hepatitis from all angles of my life.

I can contribute to the vision, mission and activities of the Alliance in this region of the world.

I will mention some experiences I have had to show that I can fulfil the responsibilities of this position:

-In 1994 I learned I had Anti-VHC. I am a doctor by profession, and a continuous learner – this gave me the advantage to understand the disease and all that it entails. But that did not stop me from feeling afraid of dying prematurely due to cirrhosis or liver cancer or feeling the need for more integrated, more humane health care. In the United States, I had the first viral loads to monitor my treatments with interferon, and there I also found, on the internet, people with hepatitis C who shared their experiences with me and made me enter the world of the patient, which until then, I knew very little about! I also started to meet patients from my country and learned about their experiences. All these interactions helped me to recognize my new self as a patient.

-The stigma and pain of having a disease that had no cure and that could possibly kill me, tempered my character and strengthened my willingness to fight so that people with hepatitis B and C had an opportunity to understand, learn to cope with their illness, to support themselves and to share with others in the support group that I started a year after being diagnosed.

-I establish the Guatemalan Liver Association.

-That is why I understand very well the patient’s needs in the long journey of illness.

-As a medical doctor, I have had opportunities to learn and understand the disease, to receive health care, and I was able to buy my treatment with generic DAAs in another country. Unfortunately, most of my compatriots do not have these opportunities which is why I have carried out multiple actions so that people with hepatitis receive treatment and comprehensive care.

-I have advocated expediting the issuance of health licenses of DAAs, so that patients could receive treatment, first with pegylated interferon and now with DAAs. I have also advocated for the establishment of the national technical task force on hepatitis, where I represent civil society and the academy.

-I urged the Ministry of Health to include screening for hepatitis in pregnant women and to purchase tests and treatments.

-I have organized and coordinated with other institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the state university, professional associations, NGOs, the private sector and PAHO, events of the World Hepatitis Day, testing and vaccination campaigns, voluntary blood donations. I received some donations and price reductions for treatments for patients with hepatitis C.

-As a university teacher I have formally trained doctors and other health professionals about hepatitis C awareness and enable them to better understand patients. I have organized and given lectures on prevention of infections during health care and on safe injections. Living with hepatitis C changed my vision of life and my way of approaching illnesses. I no longer do it only from the point of view of the one that provides health care, but also as a patient who has fears and needs that the health system, and other people, rarely understand.

-I have been able to share with people affected by hepatitis; I have suffered with them the death of companions due to cirrhosis or liver cancer. I have also been happy for the ones that have been cured and I continue to fight with others who are waiting to receive treatment. I have also shared with patient groups in the region, and I know that we are united not only by our struggle and our vision but also by similarities in our societies and health systems. I no longer have HCV, so now, I add another challenge: find and help those who have hepatitis but still do not know it. I want them to be cured before they have cirrhosis, because it is not fair that despite available treatment, they do not receive it.

During last two years I participated in the elaboration of Guatemalan Guidelines for Hepatitis B and C published online and printed.

Finally, I not favour any pharmaceutical enterprise, I am not a member of any political party or have political aspirations. I have valid passport, visa and can communicate in English.