LAHORE - Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that hepatitis is a fatal disease and people must take precautionary measures to protect themselves against it.

In his message on the World Hepatitis Day, the chief minister said the day was meant to raise awareness about the disease in an effective manner. He said the Punjab government was carrying out an organised campaign through the media to educate the public about this disease.

Shehbaz said the Punjab government had allocated sufficient resources for eradication of hepatitis. “For the first time in the history of the country, the Punjab government initiated a programme to provide free medicines to registered hepatitis B and C patients through courier service. Provision of medicines to patients at their doorstep is a revolutionary initiative and it is the commitment of the provincial government to expand this programme. The government has initiated a special campaign to control this disease and the Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme is being taken forward in an effective manner,” he said.

He said that Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute and Research Centre was being set up in Lahore and hoped that it would prove a milestone initiative in the field of kidney and liver transplant.