Diagnostic Simplification

Diagnostic affordability and accessibility are major barriers as treatment has become cheaper. Point-of-care or near-point-of-care PCR systems can improve access but still require infrastructure, trained workers, and cartridges. Antibody tests indicate exposure to hepatitis C but do not confirm current infection. Unavailable, costly, or centralised confirmatory RNA testing can cause delays and loss to follow-up after antibody screening. Confirmatory RNA or core antigen tests require more infrastructure, skills, referral pathways, and costs than antibody testing.