LAHORE: The Punjab government will collect a data on people suffering from hepatitis in order to provide diagnostic and treatment facilities to patients at special clinics by year end.

The Punjab government will conduct a survey in collaboration with the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) Trust for collecting and compiling data of hepatitis patients in the province, a meeting of the steering committee on hepatitis held at the Trust Secretariat was informed on Saturday.

The data would be collected through a survey which would help facilitate in analyzing the intensity of the disease, its spread and determining the cause of disease, the meeting presided over by ChiefMinister`s Adviser on Health Salman Rafique was informed.

PKLI Trust Chairman Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar informed the meeting that on the basis of the survey, at least 30,000 patients would be examined for which a questioner had also been prepared.

The Trust would start the hepatitis clinic in December this year to provide diagnostic and treatment facilities. Highly qualihed and experienced doctors from America and Europe would provide technical assistance to the PKLI for its hepatitis diagnostic and treatment initiative, he said and added that without a comprehensive database, the future strategy couldnotbe prepared.

Primary and Secondary Health Department secretary Ali Jan Khan said the government was spending Rs4 billion on its Hepatitis Control and Infection Control Programmes.

He said that vaccination against the hepatitis-B had also been started for jail inmates, paramedics of public sector hospitals and other high-risk segments of the society.

Specialized Healthcare Department secretary Najam Ahmad Shah stressed the need to prepare a foolproof system for disposing of infectious hospital waste in an appropriate manner and to control its pilferage.

Mr Rafique said that manufacturers should be taken on board to persuade them for producing non-reusable disposable syringes.

The Auqaf Department could play a vital role in promoting awareness against such diseases through ulema, he said.