WHO for decentralisation of hepatitis services

Islamabad : The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the federal and provincial governments of Pakistan to decentralise essential hepatitis services.

In a message released in connection with World Hepatitis Day here on Wednesday, WHO Representative Dr. Palitha Mahipala emphasised that hepatitis services be delivered in an integrated manner, hepatitis care be brought closer to those who need it, and communities and patient groups be engaged to expand access. This year’s theme of World Hepatitis Day, ‘Bring Hepatitis Care Closer,’ aims to raise awareness about the need to simplify and bring hepatitis care to primary health care facilities, community-based venues and locations beyond hospital sites, so that heath care is closer to communities and people wherever they are.

“Primary health care is an essential pillar of universal health coverage, and hepatitis services, including testing, treatment and prevention, need to be integrated with it. Bringing hepatitis care closer to communities will secure prevention services for those at higher risk for hepatitis,” Dr. Palitha pointed out.

The WHO chief recommended the provision of Hepatitis B vaccine to all newborns within 24 hours of birth as part of neonatal care. “Mothers should be tested early in their pregnancies to prevent transmission of hepatitis to their babies. It should be ensured that all eligible are tested viral hepatitis in view of treatment,” he added. An estimated 15 million people in Pakistan are infected with viral hepatitis C and another 5 million with viral hepatitis B. Globally, viral hepatitis affects 360 million people and claims 3,000 lives every day. In 2015, the World Health Assembly adopted a strategy to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 through prevention, testing and treatment.