PESHAWAR: In connection with the world “Hepatitis Day” an Awareness walk and seminar was held on Thursday in Bacha Khan Medical Complex (BKMC-MTI) Swabi organized by the Gastroenterology department of BKMC-MTI.
The hospital and college management including Dean/CEO Prof. Dr. Shams-Ur-Rahman, Hospital Director Dr. Amjad Mahboob, HoD Gastro department Dr. Arshad Jadoon, Assistant Commissioner Swabi, Allah Nawaz Khan, and other worthy faculty members attended the seminar and expressed their point of view regarding the topic.
Dr. Arshad Jadoon HoD Gastro department briefed the participants about the increased number of cases of hepatitis in the region and said that unfortunately, 9 out of every 10 hepatitis patients don’t know that they are suffering from hepatitis only those know who visited the hospital. Dr. Jadoon went on to say that in the world every 30 seconds 01 person dies due to “Hepatitis”.
He said hepatitis eradication is known worldwide, as the disease has spread globally. World Health Organization (WHO) has set a deadline for hepatitis eradication from the entire World by 2030. All the organizations including the Government itself should unite and strive to end this deadly disease, he added.
Addressing the seminar Hospital Director Dr. Amjad Mahboob said that BKMC-MTI has the facilities for the treatment of hepatitis. He said if a person diagnosed as a hepatitis positive case, they should not be discriminated against, but they also need care like normal patients. He concluded his speech by saying that Hepatitis is a silent killer, every citizen should have a screening, since its symptoms are similar to other diseases.
Dean and CEO GKMC-MTI Prof. Dr. Shams-Ur-Rahman expressed his views at the seminar and said that earlier hepatitis treatment was very expensive and the injections used in its treatment were also expensive, but now the Government has paid full attention to this and made it easier to treat. Under the hepatitis control program in Pakistan, several steps are now taken to control the disease, he added.
Assistant commissioner Swabi Allah Nawaz Khan assured the hospital administration of all cooperation in eliminating hepatitis. At the end of the seminar, Gastroenterology department organized an awareness walk headed by Dr. Arshad Jadoon, in which students carried awareness banners.