Jammu; A 3 -day training cum workshop for Specialists, Medical Officers and Laboratory Technicians on laboratory diagnosis of Viral Hepatitis under National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme was today inaugurated at Super Specialty Hospital, Jammu by Bhupinder Kumar, Mission Director, National Health Mission, J&K in presence of Dr. Sunanda Raina, Principal Government Medical College, Jammu.
On this occasion Mission Director, National Health Mission said that Viral Hepatitis is recognised as a public health problem worldwide including India and our country is committed to eliminate the Viral Hepatitis- C by 2030 and reduce the morbidity and mortality due to Hepatitis-B in line with Sustainable Development Goals. He said that, the 3 day training programme will emphasise on techniques and ways to screen general population with a special focus on high risk groups like Intravenous drug users, People getting injections from informal providers, Newborns of carrier mothers, Migrants & truckers, Persons on hemodialysis, First degree relatives of persons affected with viral hepatitis, Health Care Workers who are more prone to get Hepatitis infection.
He further added that the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, a new initiative under National Heath Mission, marks the beginning of the Nation’s journey to control Viral Hepatitis thereby reducing mortality and morbidity attributed to it. It is expected that this programme will reach all the persons who are harbouring the infection. Treating the testing laboratory as the living heart of this programme, these trainings under the programme are intended to help, support and sustain the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, as envisaged by the WHO under its Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) on Viral Hepatitis.
Dr. Sunanda Raina, Principal Government Medical College, Jammu said that India has one fifth of world’s population, it possibly accounts for a large proportion of worldwide Viral Hepatitis burden. It is expected that 15-25% of chronic Hepatitis- B cases suffer from Cirrhosis, Liver Cancer and die pre-maturely. Also horizontal transfusion from mother to child of Hepatitis-B virus is the most common mode of transmission. Hence, Hepatitis – B vaccine has been incorporated in Universal Immunisation Programme and the first dose is given at birth. All the Health Care Workers shall also be immunised against Hepatitis-B under NVHCP in coming months.
Dr. Mohd. Shafi Koka, State Nodal Officer, National Health Mission gave a presentation on overview of the programme and said that effective anti-viral drugs against Hepatitis-C have been made available at Government Medical Colleges at Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Kathua, Doda , Rajouri and also at District Hospital Pulwama.
Dr. Shashi Sharma, HoD, Microbiology, Government Medical College, Jammu and Dr. Monika Sharma, Microbiologist, Government Medical College, Jammu also spoke on the occasion.(KNS)
