Health authority turns to donors

Executive board will provide financial support for hepatitis elimination

RAWALPINDI:

Amid a significant influx of hepatitis patients in Rawalpindi, funding for an ongoing initiative under the US-based Global Task Force for Local Hepatitis Elimination and Prevention Programme has been halted due to unknown reasons.

Subsequently, the former chief executive officer of the District Health Authority, Ishaq Ansar, who served as the operational head of the hepatitis eradication initiative, has formed an executive board comprising experts and philanthropists to carry on the free hepatitis diagnostic and treatment programme for patients.

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The 16-member executive board will provide financial support for the local hepatitis elimination initiative for three years.

Previously, the US-backed initiative started in four union councils of Rawalpindi revealed a significant prevalence of hepatitis infection among citizens.

According to statistics, Hepatitis B was found in 148 patients and hepatitis C in 668 people out of 33,000 people tested in four union councils of the city.

Twelve people were diagnosed with both hepatitis B and C, after which the process of free treatment of these patients was started. Rather, it was decided that the scope of this programme should now be extended.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2023.