LARKANA, Oct 6: The provincial implementation cell of the prime minister’s programme for prevention and control of hepatitis has declared the Chandka Medical College Hospital as sentinel site.

District Nazim Mohammed Bakhsh Arijo had approached the cell for taking initiative against the disease spreading in the district at an alarming rate.

The nazim told Dawn on Friday that the cell had started providing diagnostic, preventive and curative services to patients.

Quoting a communication from Dr Zulfikar Gorar, provincial coordinator of the prime minister’s programme, he said that at the outset 66 patients of hepatitis-C and 27 patients of hepatitis-B would be treated at the hospital.

Dr Gorar said that testing kits and laboratory equipment had been placed under the control of medical superintendent of the CMCH.

He said that the provincial implementation cell would expand facilities and provide more drugs as per the requirements of the hospital.

As a part of the programme a comprehensive vaccination drive with the sole objective of interrupting virus transmission in prisoners of the Larkana district jail has also been launched.

Dr Gorar said that the first dose had been given to 250 prisoners.

He said that 22,000 prisoners in jails in Sindh were receiving vaccination against hepatitis-B and the entire campaign was progressing well under the supervision of EDOs (health).

The nazim hinted at developing the district specific strategy in line with national strategies to combat the disease and reach the poor segments of society in the district in coordination with the provincial implementation cell.

Medical sources said that at present 1.5 million people in Sindh were inflicted with hepatitis-B and 1.9 with hepatitis-C which calls for measures on a war footing.

It was apprehended that if enough control measures were not taken in time then within seven years 50 per cent population of Sindh would be cirrhotic.

The provincial coordinator in another letter to the medical superintendent of the CMCH asked for accelerating screening of hospital workers.

The ministry of health had underlined the need of early completion of the exercise, the sources said.

TRADERS’ DEMAND: The Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said that officials at weighbridges on the Super Highway are not allowing trucks having loads exceeding 20 tons from the interior of Sindh while trucks from the Punjab with 30 tons load are being allowed to pass to Karachi.