The Punjab Government is spending Rs 2280 million from its own resources on diagnostic, treatment and control of hepatitis disease in the province. As many as 12 PCR laboratories have been set-up in selected hospitals, while 43 treatment centres have been established in different hospitals to provide state-of-the-art facilities to the hepatitis patients, a spokesman of health department said.
According to him, at present, PCR test facility is being extended in Nishtar Hospital, Civil Hospital Multan, BVH Hospital Bahawalpur, Sheikh Zayed Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, Civil Hospital Shujaabad, DHQ Hospital Hafizabad, Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi, Allied Hospital Faisalabad and Jinnah Hospital & Institute of Public Health Lahore.
The spokesman further informed that during the current year, 20,000 PCR tests were conducted free of cost on which government has spent millions of rupees as one PCR test costs Rs 3000/-approximately. The PCR is a very sensitive test and only highly qualified expert can conduct it. Therefore, PCR laboratories have been established at selected hospitals to accommodate the patients, he added.
He said the government is fully aware of the sensitivity of the issue and all necessary steps are being taken to curb the hepatitis disease. He said that 43 treatment centres for hepatitis have been working in different teaching as well as DHQ hospitals and a new consignment of injections/medicines, for the treatment of 15000 hepatitis-C patients is being released within few days under Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme.