Hepatitis patients await medicine supply in Punjab

LAHORE: Patients registered with the Hepatitis Control Program in Lahore, have been waiting for medicines to complete their course. 

According to details, the lives of the patients registered with the Hepatitis Control Program in Punjab are at stake as the clinics established across Punjab are short of medicines.

Hepatitis Control Program Manager Dr Abid Ghauri said the medicines were not brought by the health department as the rate quoted for the medicines was very high.

He added that tender for the purhrase of medicine has been issued again and hoped that the supply of medicine will be restored by October 15.

Earlier Pakistan’s Envoy to the United States, Sardar Masood Khan said Islamabad remains steadfast in its dedication to addressing the challenge of hepatitis and achieving the World Health Organization’s global elimination targets by 2030.

Ambassador Masood Khan made these remarks while representing Pakistan at the second annual meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis at the sideline of UNGA78.

What is Hepatitis? 

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses  and noninfectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal.

There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods.

In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.