Rawalpindi: (Parliament Times) In wake of alarmingly rapid spread of hepatitis C disease, the Punjab Government has decided to construct a satellite Liver Transplant centre in Rawalpindi. .
According to media reports , PC-1 of Rs4 billion for the construction of Liver Transplant Centre in Rawalpindi Division has already been forwarded to Punjab Government.
The patients in the liver centre located in Holy family Hospital were treated since 2011 but there was no Satellite Liver Transplant Centre in Rawalpindi Division. However, decision to construct the liver centre has been taken in the interest of public since the number of patients suffering from hepatitis C is increasing day to day. .
The facilities of treatment which would be available in Satellite Liver Centre are not even existing in Holy Family Hospital and other hospitals located in KP, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The Holy Family hospital only deals with cases related to stomach and liver diseases. The relevant facility is only available in Shaukat Khanum Hospital Lahore and Agha Khan Hospital Karachi in the private sector.
Founder of Holy family Liver Transplant Centre and Vice chancellor Rawalpindi Medical University Dr Mohammad Umar said that the hospital has successfully conducted around 2000 surgeries in the hospital. The liver disease is completely eliminated using methods of endoscopy ultrasound and laser if the size is around 3cm.
He said that the centre was constructed at cost around Rs300 million including a donation of around Rs45 million. He said that the centre is running on around 60 percent of government resources, while 40 percent through donations.