Chandigarh, Jul 28 : With an aim to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030 from Punjab, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu Today announced to extend the treatment of Hepatitis to 41 SDHs and 6ESI hospitals from August 2021.

The total treatment centres will be 114 in 23 districts so that patients could get services for Hepatitis C near to their homes, the Minister said on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

He said that even during pandemic the Punjab Government has put approximately 18,000 patients on treatment of HCV from Jan 2020 to July 2021. However, the programme also expanded its services for inmates in 9 central jails so that all these high-risk cases don’t have to go pillar to post for treatment of Hepatitis C.

He informed that Punjab Government has also chalked out a plan to conduct the free of cost screening of all pregnant women for Hepatitis B and C.

Punjab Government and all positive pregnant females will be connected to the free of cost treatment at the nearest treatment site for speedy recovery which will further provide health security to their newborn children as well.

Mr Sidhu highlighted that during ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 in the State, the services for testing and treatment were not stopped and Department of Health increased the treatment centres from 25 to 67 in order to ensure the treatment of Hepatitis C is available to the patients. The treatment of Hepatitis C was initiated at 17 ART centres for HIV + cases and 14 OST centres for management of HCV among IVDU (Intravenous Drug Users).

He said that in order to provide quality health care services, Punjab Government also launched free viral load test for Hepatitis B on June 22, 2021.

In five years, the State has screened 2 lakh persons for Hepatitis C across the State and out of these appx 97,000 patients have been put on free treatment of Hepatitis C so far he said, adding that the cure rate of the treated cases is approximately 93 per cent in the State.(UNI)