FAISALABAD – Groundwater contamination, use of infectious surgical instruments and adulterated food products have wreaked havoc on residents of Faisalabad with more than a quarter of the city’s population infected with different types of hepatitis.
Faisalabad district has a population of 9 million and more than 2 million people have been randomly found infected with this harmful disease, especially ‘Hepatitis C’, posing a serious challenge to the health authorities in treating the patients.
There are nearly three dozen reputed hospitals in the city, a few of which have proper treatment facilities for treating hepatitis C, while most of the rest lack proper equipment.
Only the liver center at United Hospital Two is a public-private partnership and has state-of-the-art facilities, but is said to be too expensive for poor patients, the area’s main population.
Most of the city’s population depends on groundwater, but the rapid growth of mills and factories in recent decades has polluted groundwater in much of the area.
Professor Dr Zahid Yasin Hashmi, Chairman, Liver Foundation Trust and former Principal, Punjab Medical College, said: “The situation is very critical as 28% of people suffer from Hepatitis C alone and 4% Have other types of hepatitis.”
He revealed that the Liver Foundation conducted free hepatitis screening in 270 villages around Faisalabad and the cumulative number of people (32%) was shocking. “Most people ignore the seriousness of the disease and only bring patients to the hospital when the disease is already in an advanced stage. For such patients, the chances of recovery are very low.”
I urge a strong information campaign to educate people and protect them from this disease. “Faisalabad is a densely populated city and the rate of spread is worrying due to its epidemic nature.”
Zahid Hashmi said the Liver Foundation Trust was established in 2003 on the basis of a public-private partnership and provides the best treatment. “Our center is not limited to patients in Faisalabad only. However, patients from Khyber, Balochistan and even Afghanistan also come for treatment. “We also treat poor patients free of charge or at a nominal fee. “
He also mentioned that the Point of Care (POR) was launched in 2012, with two fully loaded ambulances that can accommodate 300 patients each and regularly travel to remote rural areas to diagnose and treat hepatitis patients.
Hashmi lamented the government’s lukewarm response to the challenge. “We came up with a proposal for liver transplantation in Faisalabad in 2007 at a cost of Rs 20 lakh, while the cost of setting up such a facility in India was Rs 40 lakh.”
He said that the Liver Foundation is now planning to set up Faisalabad Institute of Liver Diseases at Satyana Road, stressing on setting up a full-fledged liver institute to provide liver transplant facilities to patients.
Although the Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) has the authority to supply water, it can only provide drinking water to 40% of the population, 60% of whom still use water from other sources.
For decades, there have also been complaints about water contamination after the pipes managed by WASA were laid, as some of them had been damaged, causing sewage to mix with fresh water.
In this context, health experts believe that a holistic approach in planning, administration and treatment is needed to save citizens from the cruel clutches of hepatitis.
Another health expert, Dr Mohammad Anas, said: “Contaminated water and food are the main causes of hepatitis A and E, while hepatitis B, C and D are spread through the use of infectious surgical equipment .”
He cited unsafe use of surgical and injection instruments, transfusion of infected blood, infected dental materials, body punctures, piercings, tattoos and unhygienic use of razors, scissors, toothbrushes and care kits as transmission of hepatitis Common causes.
“There are very shocking facts about our country’s adulterated food testing facilities. Many adulterated foods are freely available in our markets,” he said.
The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), an organization responsible for setting quality standards, has its office in Faisalabad but does not have a laboratory that can immediately test food quality.
Although the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) also conducts random operations across the province to confiscate substandard food, small businesses and traders stay away from their sights.
It is also worth mentioning that 150 water filtration plants have been installed in different areas of Faisalabad, but their capacity is not enough to meet the drinking water needs of residents.
District Health Authority (DHA) spokesperson Abdur Razzak said the prevalence of hepatitis C is higher among the rural population due to the use of infected surgical and injection materials and unhygienic food. high.
“All types of hepatitis (A to E) are prevalent in Faisalabad, but the number of patients suffering from hepatitis C is much higher,” he said.
The Punjab government has established a dedicated cardiology institute and a well-equipped children’s hospital in Faisalabad, but apart from the liver centre, there is no separate facility for hepatitis patients. Although First United Hospital can transplant different human organs, including kidneys, it also lacks specific liver transplant facilities.
In this context, the provincial government needs to develop an urgent awareness and treatment plan to save the residents of this third most populous region from the deadly hepatitis disease.