ISLAMABAD: As many as 165,000 patients visited department of gastroenterology of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) during last one year, Gastroenterologist Dr Waseem Khwaja said in a statement.

He said that around 75 percent patients visited the outpatient department of the hospital with acidic peptic diseases. Around 25pc patients came with the complaints of liver diseases.

“The diseases included hepatitis, fatty liver and liver cancer. As many as 2,567 cases of hepatitis C were treated. Patients of liver diseases included acute hepatitis and chronic liver diseases.

“A number of patients came with shrunken liver and water in abdomen,” he said.

Dr Khawaja said that every person suffering with hepatitis B or C did not need antiviral treatment.

He said that the government had introduced a facility according to which the deserving patients could have free of cost tests and medicines through Pakistan Baitul Mal.

Viral hepatitis places a significant burden on the country’s economy and constitutes major threat to the quality of life of its citizens. Medicines are now available that can cure hepatitis C in over 95pc of patients and highly effective vaccinations and treatments are available for hepatitis B, enabling the worldwide elimination of viral hepatitis. As per Sustainable Development Goal, Pakistan has to eradicate the viral hepatitis by 2030.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2019