International bodies like CDC (Center of Disease Control) in Atlanta, Georgia, World Bank and Harvard Medical College are all forthcoming in working with Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI) to eliminate hepatitis from Pakistan. This was revealed in a meeting on hepatitis prevention and treatment program held with health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique in the chair.
Addressing the meeting, Salman reiterated the importance of standardization of techniques in all the health facilities in Punjab. He said that same level of highest international standards and an integrated EMR used at PKLI will be implemented at various clinics across the province of Punjab.
Dr Saeed Akhter said that the two most important areas of hepatitis treatment and prevention are legislation and prevention, and hepatitis screening and treatment. PKLI is set to play an active role in screening, vaccination and treatment of hepatitis by teaming up with national and international institutions. Such plan will be helpful in generating a robust database for every patient that will not only go through the process, but will also put a major focus on identifying and preventing the associated risk factors with the disease, he added.
Professor Dr Ghias-un-Nabi Tayyab said that a centralized mechanism for control in medicine quality will also work to ensure good quality medicine at low prices for everyone. Salman Rafique said that present situation of the disease in Pakistan clearly highlight the urgency for which PKLI, with the support of Punjab government, is addressing the remaining gaps in testing and treatment.
Moreover, a meeting to review Chickenpox situation in Punjab held on Saturday with Punjab minister for primary & secondary healthcare department Khawaja Imran Nazir in the chair. The meeting discussed the situation of chickenpox in the province especially in Faisalabad region. It was decided in the meeting that Chickenpox counters shall be established in all the hospitals of affected districts and Dengue wards would be converted into chickenpox wards with immediate effect. Imran Nazir said that a mechanism also be evolved to collect data of Chickenpox cases from the private hospitals health facilities.