What is Hepatitis C (Hep c)?
Hepatitis is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus that attacks the liver. If not treated hep c can cause liver cirrhosis (liver damage), liver failure, or liver cancer.
Find out more at https://www.liver.ca/patients-caregivers/liver-diseases/hepatitis-c/ and at https://www.catie.ca/en/healthy-living/hepatitis-c
How do you get Hep C?
You have a high risk of getting hepatitis C if you:
- you were born between 1945 – 1975
- use or have used injection drugs (even just once)
- have received blood or blood products or an organ transplant before July 1990 in Canada
- have been in jail; or
- have been injected or scratched during vaccination, surgery, blood transfusion or a religious/ceremonial ritual in regions where hepatitis C is common.
Where to get testing and treatment
Positive Living Program (2 locations in Saskatoon)
https://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/locations_services/Services/Positive-Living
Royal University Hospital Location Phone: (306)655-1783
Westside Community Clinic Location Phone: (306) 664-4310
Hep C Referral Form (Physician and Self-Referrals Accepted)
https://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/locations_services/Services/Positive-Living/Pages/Referral.aspx
Sexual Health Clinic (Public Health)
https://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/locations_services/Services/Sexual-Health
Phone: (306) 655-4642
Saskatchewan Infectious Disease Care Network (SIDCN)
https://www.sidcn.ca/clinic
Phone: (306) 956-3444 Ext. 3
How to access treatment
A family doctor or a Nurse Practitioner can send you for testing and refer you to a specialist for treatment.
Cost of Treatment
Everyone with Hep C is eligible for treatment under the provincial (for residents of Saskatchewan), or federal Health Plan (for registered First Nations and recognized Inuit people). There’s no cost to the patient.
Non residents and/or non-Canadians without residency permit may need to access other federal programs, or will need a private health insurance to cover the cost of their treatment.
