Punjab government plans 'Liver Transplant Centres'

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led Punjab government has taken notice of surge in liver disease cases and planned to set up 'Liver Transplant Centres' to provide this facility to the masses within the country. The chief minister said this while addressing a meeting held here on Thursday.
In the connection, Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, has also formed a seven-member committee, which will submit comprehensive recommendations within seven days for setting up of these centres. Professor Dr Huma Arshad said that both children and adults are facing liver diseases and 15 per cent victims of the disease are below 18 years of age.
She said that Children's Hospital Lahore is extending quality healthcare facilities to children facing different ailments including liver diseases. She said that a large number of children facing liver diseases are approaching the hospital for treatment. She was of the view that with the setting up of 'Liver Transplant Centers', patients would be able to get transplantation facilities at less expenditures.
She said that quacks are responsible for spread of liver diseases. She said that timely diagnosis of disease is of vital importance for treatment. Giving statistics she said that four children suffering from liver diseases are admitted in Children Hospital every week while one patient of liver cancer in every month. She said that timely diagnosis of liver diseases in children can greatly help in early recovery of the patient.
He further said that growing number of liver patients is a matter of concern and there is a need for taking effective measures for preventing the people from such fatal diseases. He said that government will take effective measures for this purpose and liver transplant centres would be established in teaching hospitals of the province. He said that a comprehensive strategy would be devised for this purpose in consultation with senior doctors.
He said that liver patients have to bear heavy expenditure as well as face other problems for operation abroad, therefore, setting up of such centres in the province will reduce expenditure as well as suffering of liver patients and their attendants. Senior doctors including Dr Yawar Saeed, Dr Naeem-ud-Din Mian, Dr Faisal Masood, Dr Javed Akram, Dr Zaffar Iqbal and Dr Anwar A Khan also spoke on the occasion and expressed their views about liver diseases.