LAHORE, Oct 30: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said liver transplant centres will be set up in teaching hospitals so that liver patients do not have to go abroad for this purpose.

He said a public awareness campaign would also be launched regarding preventive measures of liver diseases, says an official handout.

Mr Sharif said this at a meeting regarding establishment of liver transplant centres and prevention of liver diseases at Chief Minister's Secretariat here on Thursday.

The chief minister said liver transplant centers would be established in teaching hospitals of the province. He said liver patients had to bear heavy expenditure as well as face other problems for operation abroad. He said local centers would reduce expenditure as well as suffering of the patients and their attendants.

The chief minister said a committee would look into the establishment of liver transplant centers. He said that in addition to the grown up people, children were also becoming victim of liver diseases and the number of such patients visiting Children’s Hospital was increasing which was alarming.

Earlier, Prof Dr Huma Arshad in her briefing about liver diseases and transplant said that both grown up people and children were becoming victim of liver diseases and 15 per cent of such patients were below 18 years.

She said that Children’s Hospital was playing an important role in the healthcare and treatment of children and a large number of liver patients, including children from other provinces visited the hospital for treatment.

She said that timely diagnosis of disease was of vital importance for treatment. She said that quacks and non-qualified doctors were a major cause of spread of liver diseases.