The Provincial Co-ordinator to Chief Minister's initiative for Hepatitis Prevention & Control Programme, Dr Abdul Majeed Chhutto has said that proper legislation was being made for compulsory usage of auto-lock syringes and to stop practice of unregistered doctors and quacks with a view to arrest increasing number of Hepatitis B & C and other HIV diseases in the Sindh province.
This he said while talking at S.I.D. Media Forum at Regional Information office Hyderabad on Thursday. He said that besides other reasons, the practice of quacks and usage of recycled syringes by general practitioner doctors (GP) were the main cause behind increasing number of Hepatitis B & C in Sindh as such control on these practices has become unavoidable.
He said that Sindh Assembly recently has passed a Bill of Law about compulsory usage of "Auto-lock" syringes and added that after three months this bill would become an act and implemented accordingly. Similarly another draft of a Bill has been prepared and submitted to Sindh government under which ban and punishment on unregistered doctors and quacks has been recommended. Replying a question, he said that once the bill would be passed the unregistered doctors or quacks would be liable for the punishment of 3 months imprisonment and fine of Rs 50,000/- on account of their medical practice.
He said that this 3 years project of Sindh Chief Minister's initiatives for prevention and control of Hepatitis B & C had been launched in January 2009 at its total cost of Rs 2 billion 70 crores but government in principle has decided to extend its period for 5 years. He said that since the start of this project, 11063 patients of Hepatitis B & C has been completely treated, while 18253 patients were under treatment. Similarly 844367 persons have been vaccinated during the period. He said that in addition to that as many as 165 camps have been arranged at different parts of Sindh, where 55766 persons have been screened out and 53582 were vaccinated. Besides in 19 prisons of Sindh 1800 convicted and 16500 under trial prisoners were screened out, by which 767 prisoners were found as infected with Hepatitis and subsequently provided proper treatment, he added.
To another question, Dr Abdul Majeed Chhutto said that as many as 35 Hepatitis preventive and control centres were functioning in the whole province out of which 7 were in Karachi, 4 in Hyderabad and one at each district hospital/Civil Hospital in the province.
He said that after the implementation of Prime Minister and Sindh Chief Minister's programmes for prevention and control on Hepatitis B & C the ratio of patients of Hepatitis B has been decreased from 3 percent to 2.5 percent and patients of Hepatitis C from 5 percent to 4.5 percent in Sindh, as revealed in to two different surveys.
Responding a question about the reports of ineffectiveness of vaccination in Nawabshah district, the Provincial Co-ordinator said that the inquiry about the complained in question was made under the directives of Sindh Chief Minister, which revealed that it became because of negligence of concerned management at Nawabshah who did not care about maintaining the cold chain, which was necessary for effectiveness of the vaccination.
However, he also informed that according to international standard, the result of vaccination and treatment should be up to 70 percent to 80 percent and added that his organisation has achieved result of 76 percent, which according to him was satisfactory. He said that he has foolproof cold chain mechanism here at his office, where storage capacity of 10 lac vaccine viols is available. Beside a mobile vehicle was also being operated for the purpose.
To another question, Dr Majeed Chhutto said that Larkana, Kambar, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Jacubabad, Khaipur and Nausheroferoz districts were worst affected with Hepatitis B, while the other districts in lower Sindh were affected with Hepatitis C. He said that government has adopted multidimensional strategy to curb this deadly diseases under which not only the screening, vaccination and treatment was being made to the patients/persons but an awareness campaign and legislation was also being made to eradicate the causes behind this silent killer of the people. He stressed upon the media, leaders and other people of civil society to come forward and make the people aware to avoid the reasons behind this disease.
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