Plan To Provide Free Hepatitis Medicines In Hospitals

(@FahadShabbir)

Plan to provide free hepatitis medicines in hospitals

LAHORE, Jan 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 09th Jan, 2017 ) : The Punjab government approved a plan to procure hepatitis medicines for the public sector hospitals to be provided to Hepatitis patients free of cost, sources from health department said here.

This is first time that a government of any province had decided to provide medicines to patients of deadly disease hepatitis B,C. According to data, around 20 million people in the country have been suffering from viral disease of Hepatitis B,C.

The price of the medicine which is called Sofigates is Rs 1318 for a pack of 28 tablets for one month while six months course is enough to treat a patient of hepatitis. Earlier, this medicine had been selling in Rs 55,000 per pack of 28 tablets by some foreign drug companies but now after giving the approval to 11 local companies, this medicine will be available in just Rs 1318.

As many as 250,000 patients of hepatitis will take benefit from this medicines in Punjab, health sources claimed. Meanwhile, Chairman Patients' Rights Forum and renowned pharmacist Noor Muhammad Mehar while appreciating the good step of the Punjab Government has urged the governments of other provinces to follow the historical step of the Punjab government to cure the patients of hepatitis.

He said the Punjab government had taken advantage in treating the patients of viral disease. He suggested the government to establish a hepatitis research and monitoring cell to prevent the people from this deadly disease in time.