Every 10th person in Pakistan is at risk of getting hepatitis B or C

Rawalpindi: Every 10th person in Pakistan is at risk of getting hepatitis C or hepatitis B while at present, Pakistan can be termed as number two in the world with high prevalence of viral hepatitis that is 5.8 per cent in case of hepatitis C and 2.8 per cent in case of hepatitis B that shares a major burden of the disease in this region of the world.

As the patients of chronic hepatitis do not develop any symptoms generally hence the key to prevention and control on hepatitis is awareness among public on various aspects of the disease.

Health experts serving here at Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) and allied hospitals in town expressed this while addressing participants of an awareness walk arranged here at Holy Family Hospital on Friday (HFH) to mark World Hepatitis Day.

Centre for Liver and Digestive Diseases (CLD) at HFH, Society for Therapeutic Endoscopy Pakistan and Pakistan Society of Hepatology organised the walk that started from Center for Liver and Digestive Diseases to old building of the HFH.

RMU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar led the walk. Medical Superintendent at HFH Dr. Shafiq Sarwar, Dr. Zahid Mahmood Minhas, Dr. Tayyab Saeed Akhtar, Dr Arslan Shahzad along with doctors from different specialties, medical students, nurses, paramedical staff and patients participated in the walk.

The participants were holding banners containing the slogan ‘Eliminate Hepatitis,’ the theme for World Hepatitis Day for the year 2017. On the occasion, brochures carrying information about the disease and highlighting preventive measures in local language were distributed among patients and their attendants at the hospital.

The organisers of the walk have also displayed banners in Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital carrying informative material about the disease for creating awareness among public on how the disease can be avoided.

A free screening camp was also organised at the HFH in connection with World Hepatitis Day and as many as 400 people were screened free of cost for hepatitis B and C. It is important that the CLD is working on hepatitis since 1998 and has been playing a leading role for its prevention and treatment. The CLD has treated well over six thousand patients of hepatitis free of cost since 2007, said Dr. Zahid Minhas while talking to ‘The News’.

He added that the CLD also offers latest and modern equipment to diagnose and treat the routine and complicated cases of hepatitis and it is all due to efforts of Professor Muhammad Umar, who is also Chairman of International Guidelines Committee for diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis.

It is important that Professor Umar has also formulated National Consensus Guidelines 2017 that serve as guidelines to help doctors for treatment of hepatitis C in Pakistan. The guidelines are published in Ayub Medical Journal and are publically available at https://jamc.ayubmed.edu.pk/index.php/jamc/issue/view/27, said Dr. Minhas.

He added that Professor Muhammad Umar is also Chair of World Gastroenterology Organization for Hepatitis C guidelines which are available athttps://www.worldgastroenterology.org/guidelines/global-guidelines/hepatitis-c/hepatitis-c-english.

He said the Government of Punjab has allocated Rs10 billion for the GI and Liver Diseases for population in the Punjab province that includes Rs5 billion for the primary and secondary health and Rs5 billion for the tertiary care hospital. Through this program patients will receive medicines for treatment of hepatitis C at their doorstep and the process has already been started, said Professor Umar while addressing the participants of the walk.