LAHORE: The Punjab government has promulgated a far-reaching comprehensive ordinance to provide for surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis and for enforcement of measures to prevent its spread, including through unsafe blood transfusion or dialysis.

Under the Punjab Hepatitis Ordinance 2017, the government will establish a surveillance system for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease and for the support of patients.

It will provide for diagnosis, treatment and counseling of the patients, and their families.

It will provide risk-reductioninformation, emotional support and other social and health safety measures to the patients, conduct their surveillance and epidemiological studies, collect and analyse their data and record, including vaccination history. The information will be kept confidential.

It will train medical practitioners and healthcare workers for the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, therapeutic decisionmaking and against transmission and spread of hepatitis.

The government will coordinate with educational institutions for awareness campaigns. More importantly, it will ensure periodic tests of healthcare workers and people vulnerable tothe disease.

Every healthcare facility shallbe required to immediately send to the health director general the patients information gathered as through medical tests. The second test shall be conducted by a different healthcare facility.

A pharmacy, medical store or person shall transfer only a prescribed auto-disabled syringe of specific measurement.

The government may, by notification, allow a healthcare facility to use standard syringes or autodisabled ones under the supervision of a medical practitioner subject to their proper disposal. All such facilities are required to properly dispose of hospital waste.

It disallows injection of blood, blood component or blood product unless prescribed by a doctor, anddeclared safe as per the Punjab Blood Transfusion Safety Act 2001.

Dialysis of a person is allowed only after a hepatitis test. The procedure shall be conducted on a dialysis machine exclusively allocated for the dialysis of such patients.

A doctor shall not transplant any donated organ or tissue unless both the donor and the recipient are tested for hepatitis. A patient may donate an organ or tissue to another patient with the same genotype of hepatitis.

The government may provide for a hepatitis test, diagnosis and treatment at any public healthcare facility.

The ordinance binds owners of saloons, beauty parlors or barbers to display necessary preventive measures against transmission of hepatitis.

All overseas employment agencies are required to display information about the risl(s of hepatitis transmission.

The government may provide for a free of charge hepatitis test at subsidized rates. Tests for pregnant women are necessary. Certificates of such tests are also mandatory for joining a government service. But this will not allow an employer to refuse employment to a patient or fire him/her for suffering from hepatitis.

A certificate is also mandatoryfor sportsperson for participating the provincial games or held by the ProvincialSports Board.

Jail superintendents too are now duty-bound to arrange for tests of prisoners within seven days of their arrival.

A court may direct for test of the victim or the accused when the crime suggests transfer of body fluids between them.

The government may make hepatitis -B vaccine available at every public healthcare facility and provide incentive to private healthcare facilities for administering it to people public at subsidized rates.

Parents or guardians are dutybound to ensure hepatitis-B vaccination of their children. An exemp-tion can be obtained from a designated doctor for a certain period.

Healthcare facilities may be established for vaccination to all infants and teams will be formed to reach them.

A primary school or madressah shall, at the time of admission inquire about vaccination of a child and communicate the information a healthcare facility.

PENALTIES: Intentionally transmitting hepatitis to a healthy person is punishable with up to one month imprisonment and fine up to Rs50,000.

Disclosing a patient`s health information is punishable with up to three-month imprisonment and fine up to Rs100,000.Intentionally transmitting or exposing others to the risk of hepatitis transmission shall invite up to three-year imprisonment and fine up to Rs200,000.

Any person detailed to prevent transmission of hepatitis, negligently aids or abets its shall be liable to up to six-month imprisonment and fine up to three million rupees.

Any person who violates any provisions of the Ordinance for which no punishment is otherwise provided in it, shall be liable to up to one-month imprisonment and fine up to Rs50,000.

In case of any violation by a company, every person who is a director or partner will be punished.