Daily Times

LAHORE: The scale of hepatitis prevalence in Punjab calls for all sections of society to come forward and synergize efforts for control and prevention of the disease, said experts on Saturday at an awareness seminar to mark the World Hepatitis Day.

Dr Zahida Sarwar of the Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme said that 101 dedicated hepatitis filter clinics were being established in the province. She said that the Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme had so far registered 40,000 barbers and hair dressers in the province, while safety kits were being provided to them along with training.

She said more than seven million people in Punjab were estimated to be suffering from hepatitis B and C, the blood borne viral infection.

“If we have to eliminate hepatitis from Punjab, we have to treat 0.8 to 0.9 million people annually in Punjab, which shows how big a challenge we are facing. We have to treat a large number of patients and reduce the infectious pool if we are to eliminate hepatitis from the province. The presence of a large infectious pool means there is a potent threat of the disease spreading in the province,” Dr Zahida added.

She said that the government had enhanced the budget for hepatitis control programme, which currently has the capacity to treat more than 80,000 patients in the province. “Treatment is not the only area we are focusing on. A renewed emphasis has been laid on awareness and prevention and communication vis-à-vis health education is being specially focused.”

Dr Zahida said that the Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lahore Press Club for provision of free medicines to journalists.

She added that the Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme was pushing for measures for legislation and for introduction of auto-destructible syringes. She said hospital waste management and infection control protocols were being implemented in collaboration with the Punjab Healthcare Commission.

Special Secretary Dr Faisal Zahoor said that “Healthy Punjab” was a passion of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who had provided billions of rupees for health sector development. He said that focal persons for hepatitis control at the district headquarters hospital and tehsil headquarter hospitals would also play an effective role in hospital waste management. Proper training would be imparted to them for the purpose, he added.

Published in Daily Times, July 30^th , 2017.