Hospital to launch hepatitis preventive programme

LAHORE : Jinnah Hospital administration has collaborated with a charity organisation to launch an extensive programme for prevention and treatment of hepatitis in Lahore and the rest of Punjab.

The hospital has started ‘the Outreach Activity Programme’ for prevention and treatment of hepatitis in financial collaboration of the Sheikh Gohar Ejaz Trust.

The Punjab government will also provide its financial assistance to the hospital for successful implementation of the programme with a view to controlling the growing incidence of hepatitis B and C in the province.

The disease burden pertaining to liver disorders, particularly Hepatitis B and C, has tremendously risen in the recent past, resulting in a huge increase in the requirements of medicines and equipment of endoscopy for diagnostic and treatment of the poor and the needy at different stages of the disease.

At least 20 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis C and B and their number is growing rapidly because of lack of preventive measures and treatment facilities. Around 150,000 people die of the disease every year in the country. “The number of patients from Lahore and elsewhere from Punjab using the hepatitis prevention and treatment clinic facility at Jinnah Hospital is expected to increase 2-3 folds in the next few years,” Jinnah Hospital/Allama Iqbal Medical College Board of Management chairman Gohar Ejaz said. “This programme has been developed for awareness and to provide effective treatment at the doorstep of the patients by Jinnah Hospital,” he added.

The Outreach Activity Programme aims to launch hepatitis awareness campaign for detection, prevention and treatment of various types of hepatitis among people in the outskirts of Lahore and different areas of Punjab. Further, it targets screening of hepatitis at the centres of outreach activity and detailed analysis of disease at Jinnah Hospital.

Public awareness literature covering different aspects of prevention and treatment, and follow-up care of patients would be provided under the programme. An extensive media campaign will also be started in collaboration with the trust.

dengue: Post Graduate Medical Institute and Ameer ud Din Medical College Principal Prof Dr Sardar Al-Fareed Zafar has said preventive measures should be taken against dengue and other diseases.

“It is our collective responsibility to keep environment clean and safe from mosquitoes in view of dengue,” said Prof Sardar Al-Fareed Zafar while leading a walk held to create awareness about dengue among the masses at Lahore General Hospital. LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Mahmud Salah Uddin, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, patients and people from different walks of life participated in the walk. The participants held placards and banners with the slogans about cleanliness and safety from dengue. The walk was started from the admin block to Punjab Institute of Neurosciences.