Hepatitis patients suffer after medics recalled

Health authority cites termination of general duty as reason for withdrawal of staff from MMC

RAWALPINDI:

The District Health Authority (DHA) has recalled doctors and paramedical staff serving at the Municipal Medical Centre (MMC) in the Red Crescent Building, Rawalpindi, under the Local Hepatitis Elimination and Prevention Programme (LHEAP).

The centre provides mass free testing and treatment to Hepatitis patients, but the staff has been called back, citing termination of general duty.

The Authority has also issued warning letters to the Medical Superintendents (MSs) of Tehsil Headquarter Hospital (THQ) Murree and Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Kotli Sattian, expressing disappointment over their poor performance in screening for Hepatitis B and C. Currently, 260 employees of the DHA are deployed on general duty in various centres.

As part of LHEAP, the MMC teams conducted an outreach effort from July 2023 to July 2024. During this period, they visited 10,447 households and performed blood screening of 44,274 individuals for hepatitis B and C. As many as 282 people were diagnosed with hepatitis B and 1,297 people were diagnosed with hepatitis C. Additionally, 20 individuals were found to be simultaneously positive for both hepatitis B and C.

The total number of hepatitis-positive patients identified was 1,599. Notably, all individuals who underwent blood screening received this facility free of charge. Currently, treatment is being provided to 56 patients with hepatitis B and 507 patients with hepatitis C, bringing the total number of hepatitis patients undergoing treatment to 564.

DHA's recent decision to recall 10 doctors and support staff on general duty has adversely impacted the MMC’s work as the move led to the complete disruption of the system for conducting blood screening and other tests for diagnosing hepatitis.

When contacted, LHEAP Chief Executive Officer Dr Ansar Ishaq expressed concerns about the impact of the DHA's decision on MMC and pointed out that without doctors, support staff, and laboratory technicians, the centre would be unable to function.

Dr Asif Arbab, the Chief Executive Officer of DHA, however, says the recall of doctors and staff on general duty is a policy decision per guidelines issued by the provincial secretary of health.

Meanwhile, DHA has deployed 260 individuals, including doctors and other staff members on general duty across various health centres and THQs in the district.

In a warning letter issued on July 24 to the MSs of THQs of Kotli Sattian and Murree, the CEO of DHA expressed concerns over the subpar performance regarding the screening of hepatitis B and C. The letter states that the performance of both hospitals in this regard isn’t only disappointing but also questionable and emphasises the need for immediate improvement.