Punjab Health Department has issued instructions to all the Health EDOs to launch a special campaign for creating awareness against Hepatitis. According to an estimate, more than 60, 000 people are carriers of hepatitis C in Punjab.
Punjab Health Director General Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema held a meeting with all the Health EDOs to review the steps taken by the departments for preventing the spread of hepatitis. He said improper hospital waste disposal, poor infection control, unsafe injection usage, unsafe use of sharp tools by barbers, unsterilised medical equipments and unscreened blood transfusion were the common causes for disease spread.
Health DG highlighted the importance of the awareness and social mobilisation and asked the officers to arrange advocacy meetings for clerics, teachers and others and to call meetings of barbers and others to increase awareness.
The participants said that the government had installed incinerators in 19 districts but due to minor repair and maintenance issues some incinerators were not being utilised to burn the hazardous waste. The DG directed the concern EDOs to address the repair and maintenance issue of the incinerators and to make them functional by February 28.
He said that under the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 it was mandatory for all public and private hospitals to dispose the hazardous waste safely. He directed the EDOs to make the Hospital Infection Control Committees functional and to ensure regular monitoring of infection control measures in the districts.
