Disease control: Forum on the cards to curb hepatitis, says Salman

‘A vigourous hepatitis campaign is the need of the hour’

LAHORE: Khawaja Salman Rafique, adviser to chief minister on health, said on Friday that an independent forum would be set up to control hepatitis in the Punjab.

Talking to Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar, chairman of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute Trust (PK&LTIT), Rafique said that a vigorous hepatitis awareness campaign was the need of the hour. He said the Trust would play a major role in the awareness campaign.

Rafique said that officials of the Environment, Education, Auqaf, Police and Home Departments; Punjab Healthcare Commission; Blood Transfusion Authority and Punjab Information Technology Board would look after the affairs of the hepatitis forum, which would be set up after chief minister’s approval.

Prof Akhtar said that Trust’s hepatitis clinic would start working in December this year and 300 hepatitis patients would be treated there every day.

He said the Trust would conduct a survey in collaboration with the Punjab government to assess the prevalence of hepatitis in the province.

He said that a database of hepatitis patients would also be prepared.

Rafique said that a law would be enacted on safe blood transfusion. He said that an amended draft bill had been sent to the standing committee of the Punjab Assembly for a review.

Ali Jan Khan, secretary for primary and secondary health, said the Epidemic Control Act could be used temporarily to ensure safe blood transfusion.

He said that standard operating procedures should be prepared for barbers, dentists, blood banks, hospital waste management and against reuse of disposable syringes to curb reuse of infected medical equipment.

Earlier, Rafique inaugurated a two-day workshop on haemophilia at a hotel here.

The Pakistan Society of Haemophalia, Embassy of Denmark and a pharmaceutical company organised the workshop.

Pakistan Society of Haemophilia president General (r) Muhammad Ayub, Special Secretary on Health Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan, Children Hospital Dean Masood Sadiq, Prof Nisar Ahmed and Prof Moona Aziz attended the workshop.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2016.