Punjab Government launches hepatitis control action plan

Lahore: Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a joint action committee comprising officers of different departments to prevent, control and manage hepatitis cases in Punjab. This committee would prepare a joint action plan and SOPs for hepatitis B & C on the pattern of dengue control programme.

It was stated by the Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq while presiding over the first meeting of the committee constituted by the Chief Minister at Civil Secretariat, today.

Besides Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik, Director General Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz, Secretary Environment Department Iqbal Chohan, Secretary Social Welfare Haroon Rafiq, Additional Secretary Schools Education Khursheed Ali Zaidi, Additional Secretary Auqaf Shafique Ahmad, Additional Secretary Technical Salman Shahid, Director Social Welfare Muhammad Salman, Punjab AIDS Control Programme’s Dr. Tayyaba Rashid, Senior Manager Lahore Waste Management Company Wasif Azhar, President Family Physician Association Dr. Tariq Mian, Professor of Medicine Dr. Ghias-un-Nabi Tayyub, Deputy Secretary Local Government Khalid Fareed, Director Institute of Blood Transfusion Dr. Zafar Iqbal and Secretary Blood Transfusion Authority Dr. Jaffar Saleem attended the meeting. Prof. Dr. Ghias-un-Nabi Tayyab gave a briefing on the situation of hepatitis B & C in Punjab and its percentage in the patients of other diseases and also in different segments of the society.

Kh. Salman Rafiq directed that all member departments should nominate a focal person and a subcommittee should be constituted consisting of nominated focal persons for hepatitis control. This committee would evolve terms of references (TORs) and action plan for prevention and control of hepatitis B & C and recommendations for public awareness, hospital waste management, case management of hepatitis patients and other related matters. He said that hepatitis control action plan would be implemented on the pattern of dengue control programme. He said that general practitioners and family physicians associations have been taken on board so that a joint strategy might be prepared for the prevention and management of the disease. Hepatitis is a fast growing problem which should be controlled at any cost, he added.