Awareness walk, vaccination camp held at Holy Family Hospital

Rawalpindi

The Centre for Liver and Digestive Diseases (CLD) here at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) arranged an awareness walk, free screening camp for hepatitis B and C patients and free vaccination camp for hepatitis B patients on Thursday.

The set of activities was arranged to mark the sixth official WHO World Hepatitis Day observed on Thursday around the globe.

Principal at Rawalpindi Medical College and In-charge Centre for Liver and Digestive Diseases Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar led the awareness walk that was carried out from New Teaching Block of RMC to the CLD. Professor of Medicine at RMC Dr. Bushra Khar, Assistant Professor Dr. Arslan, Senior Registrar Dr. Tayyab and Coordinator Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme at HFH Dr. Zahid Minhas participated in the walk along with doctors, nurses and paramedics serving at the hospital.

The awareness walk was a part of an awareness campaign launched by the CLD in connection with World Hepatitis Day to increase awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis and its complications among public, said Dr. Zahid Minhas while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday after the walk.

He said the centre has displayed banners carrying guidelines on prevention and control measures in simple Urdu language in the premises of the HFH. He said the CLD would also distribute leaflets and pamphlets carrying information about different aspects of hepatitis among patients visiting the HFH for three days to increase sensitivity among public on hepatitis and its complications.

He said a free screening camp for patients of hepatitis B and C along with a free vaccination camp for hepatitis B patients has also been arranged on Thursday at the Advance Liver and GI Centre at HFH. “Those who were diagnosed as confirmed cases of hepatitis would be given free treatment at the HFH.”

It is important that in public sector hospitals of the province, the treatment facilities for patients suffering from hepatitis and its complications are limited. The CLD was established to cater to the needs of patients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases with a grant of Rs163 million by the Punjab government and Rs35.5 million by the donations from doctors and pharmaceuticals.

The centre has facilities of Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and procedures through Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA). Procedures through RFA are done in cases of small liver cancers that are mostly detected in early stage but can not be operated physically. The facility of ERCP is an investigation which is done for diagnosis and management of various pancreatic and biliary diseases. The ERCP and EUS are used to treat Bile Duct Stone and Pancreatic Cancer.