MoU signed to control hepatitis

LAHORE: Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute and Research Center (PKLI&RC), on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) (formerly Directorate of Staff Development), Punjab.

The MoU was signed by Prof Dr Saeed Akhter, president and CEO, PKLI&RC and Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik, programme director, QAED, Punjab on behalf of their respective organisations. The signing ceremony took place at DSD building, School Education Department, Wahdat Colony, Lahore.

According to a press release issued here, PKLI&RC in collaboration with government of Punjab is running the flagship Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Programme (HPTP) all over Punjab. In this regard, PKLI&RC is setting up satellite hepatitis prevention and treatment clinics (HPTC) in different districts.

The Directorate of Staff Development (DSD), government of Punjab has joined hands with PKLI&RC by providing its training facility for PKLI&RC’s staff hired for the satellite clinics.

PKLI&RC newly appointed doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, IT professionals and other support staff are currently benefiting from the facilities of DSD. They will be posted at all the 25 satellites clinics of PKLI&RC all across Punjab. The PKLI&RC trainees will benefit from DSD facilities, including classrooms, IT labs, library, cafeteria, auditorium and hostels.

Dr Saeed Akhter said the memorandum served an integrated framework for mutual understanding and cooperation between PKLI&RC and QAED in collaboration with the government of Punjab for the achievement of the Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Programme (HPTP) goals.

Dr Saeed Akhter said that PKLI&RC’s first Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Clinic (HPTC) had so far provided treatment to nearly 10,000 hepatitis patients. He added that PKLI&RC aimed to raise the overall standards of the healthcare sector in Pakistan.

He said the strategic goals of the  Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Programme  needed to be implemented at the state level and every department concerned like health and IT needed to take full responsibility for it. He said that WHO and CDC had recognised PKLI&RC endeavours in making making hepatitis free.

Dr Allah Bakhsh said, "This close collaboration would help both PKLI&RC and Punjab government to deepen our knowledge and to achieve our goal of making Pakistan free from hepatitis."