E-Paper
After hepatitis C, patients with hepatitis B will also be treated in Ludhiana government hospitals
The Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, had recently informed all district health departments in the state that medical kits for the diagnosis and management of hepatitis B will soon be provided to district, subdivisional hospitals and government medical colleges
After hepatitis C, the screening and management of hepatitis B will also be available in the state’s district and subdivisional hospitals under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) from this year.
The Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, had recently informed all district health departments in the state that medical kits for the diagnosis and management of hepatitis B will soon be provided to district , subdivisional hospitals and government medical colleges.
In the first phase, pregnant women and patients in high-risk groups, including those of haemodialysis, PLHIV (People Living with HIV), thalassemia and intravenous drug users (IVDUs) will be diagnosed for hepatitis B.
The antenatal screening of the pregnant women for hepatitis B will be conducted in the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) labs of district and subdivisional hospitals and also at the government medical colleges of Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot.
So far, free treatment of hepatitis C was available with the civil hospital here. The state government will be expanding the programme to subdivisional hospitals as well.
The free treatment of hepatitis C was started across the state in June 2016 under the state’s Mukh Mantri Hepatitis C Relief Fund. The programme was later implemented at the pan-India level in 2018 under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), which covered all the categories of hepatitis.
“Since June 2016; a total of 6,891 patients enrolled for the hepatitis C treatment under the programme. As many as 1,437 patients were successfully cured. We are already covering hepatitis A and E under the NVHCP. Now, hepatitis B patients will also be treated under the programme. We are expecting to receive the kits this month,” said Divjot Singh, epidemiologist, district health department.
Singh said the headquarters had recently asked the civil surgeon office to send the names of doctors of the sub-divisional hospitals, who will undergo training at the hepatology department of the PGIMER, Chandigarh, for treating hepatitis patients.
“Dr Sandeep Manav from Samrala, Dr Prabhjot Kaur from Khanna, Dr Sukhpreet Kaur from Jagraon and Dr Harinder Sood of Raikot subdivisional hospital have been nominated by the health department to undergo training under the NVHCP,” he added.
NATIONAL VIRAL HEPATITIS CONTROL PROGRAMME
The ministry of health and family welfare had launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme to end viral hepatitis as a public threat by 2030. While the policy aimed at eradicating hepatitis C by 2030, it also targeted at reducing the risk, morbidity, and mortality due to hepatitis A, B, and E.
