Skip to main content

Table 2 Summary on themes and subthemes emerging from the focus group discussions

From: Barriers to scaling up hepatitis C treatment in Malaysia: a qualitative study with key stakeholders

Themes

Subthemes

Summary

1. Limited access to health facilities

(a) Movement restrictions during COVID-19 outbreaks

(b) Marginalized key populations

Major factors limiting the access of people living with HCV to primary healthcare clinics and hospitals.

2. Gaps in HCV treatment delivery

(a) Limited staffing and capacity

(b) Disruption in material supply

(c) Silos mentality and unintegrated systems

(d) Logistical challenges for laboratory tests

(e) Insufficient knowledge of care providers

Institutional insufficiencies affecting the delivery of HCV care.

3. Free yet unaffordable treatment

(a) Transportation costs

(b) Productivity loss

Reasons of life pressure among people living with HCV suppressing the uptake of no-cost treatment.

4. Suboptimal acceptability of treatment

(a) Limited disease awareness and treatment adherence

(b) Disease-related stigma

Causes of pharmacological treatment not widely accepted in people living with HCV.

COVID-19 coronavirus disease-2019, HCV hepatitis C virus