64,000 hepatitis patients receive free treatment

Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Suhbat Pur, Sibi, Barkhak have been declared dangerous areas for hepatitis patients

QUETTA: At least 64,000 hepatitis patients were treated free of charge in the last three years in Balochistan whereas over 8,800 are currently registered in the province’s Hepatitis Control Programme.

“Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Suhbat Pur, Sibi, Barkhak, Kohlu, Musakhail and Zhob have been declared the most dangerous areas of Balochistan for hepatitis patients where the ratio of the disease has reached up to 8%,” Chairman of CM Balochistan Hepatitis Control Program Dr Ismael Meerwani told a news conference on Monday.

He added that more than 72,000 patients of hepatitis B and C, and 3,600 patients of hepatitis D are registered in the programme who have been receiving free treatment and medicines.

“More than 800,000 people in Balochistan have gone through the hepatitis screening while 7,000,000 received vaccination,” said Dr Meerwani.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2019.