Hepatitis C: A Serious Threat to the People of Pakistan?
July 27, 2018 | Dr. Tayyab Saeed Akhter

Hepatitis C: A Serious Threat to the People of Pakistan?

As the world is approaching 2030 with the slogan to eliminate hepatitis, we Pakistanis as a nation have some serious threats.

7 Serious Threats of Hepatitis C to the People of Pakistan

Threat # 1: Being the 2nd prevalent country suffering from Hepatitis C related liver disease, has a very low awareness among the general public regarding the magnitude of this issue. Therefore people are still least bothered as far as “safe health practices” are concerned. A lot of people are still at risk of unsafe injections and unsterilized equipment being used at registered centers as well as unregistered centers being run by quacks.

Threat # 2: Hepatitis C has 6 different genotypes amongst which genotype 3 is the most common in Pakistani population. This Genotype 3 itself is thought to be difficult to treat genotype.

Threat # 3: Although the new drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C have really impressed the world and are thought to play a very promising role in Hepatitis C eradication but there are some issues pertaining to these drugs as well. The most fearsome is the “Drug Resistance”. In developed nations were a lot of efforts and budget is allocated to research, we lack any such devotion. The virus has surprisingly shown regional variations as far as this drug resistance is concerned. Due to lack of research, we may never be able to be aware of the resistance pattern in Pakistan and in the future, the resistant strains in our country can consolidate and can become a serious threat.

Threat # 4: Drug Quality and Control system on the national level practically doesn’t exist in our country.  With the availability of new and new drugs and their license to several different companies, there is no check and balance. In competition amongst the companies they are reducing their retail prices and in doing so the quality will be maintained or not is another important question?

Threat # 5: The Government is providing free medications as a part of their campaign against Hepatitis C to a significant number of poor patients. It is no doubt a great step and should be appreciated. But again there are some serious concerns. Apart from checking the quality, is there any mechanism regarding the follow-up of these patients according to the standard protocol. Is someone monitoring the efficacy and side effects of these drugs? All these patients comprise a huge data that can be included in medical research to know our own local scenarios in detail, but there is no concern in this regard at government as well as Doctors’ level. 

Threat # 6: Still there are a huge number of patients who already have their liver damaged. Liver transplant is the only solution to their ailment. Lack of expertise and the cost factor is a big hindrance and needs to be addressed.

Threat # 7: These patients are at risk of developing liver cancer. Pakistan lacks a proper screening program for patients at risk. This is again a serious issue as the tool for patients suffering from liver cancer is rising at an alarming rate, furthermore, most of these patients are diagnosed late once the stage has become advanced.

Shifa4u fighting against Hepatitis C in Pakistan

Shifa4u is a one-stop complete healthcare solution. We not only help you to identify whether you are suffering from hepatitis or not but also take you through all the steps of management and post-treatment care as well.

1. You can get yourself screened by a single test and shifa4u provides you this facility through home sampling and you can get your report online through one of the best labs in Pakistan.

2. Our online MOs will guide you free of cost regarding the interpretation of your test results.

3. If you need further evaluation shifa4u helps you for an easy appointment with our nearby Tier 2 consultants.

4. Shifa4u will also help you get the best possible medications and will provide a platform for the easy follow-up to your health care provider without going through much hustle.

5. If your case is complicated and you want a second opinion, shifa4u will help you get a 2nd opinion from world-renowned consultants through their American Tele Clinic in affordable price without going abroad.

6. Your data will be easily preserved through our EMR and can be readily available whenever required.  

7. Your data will be readily available for research purpose without exposing your identity and this knowledge will further help in improving the treatment strategies against Hepatitis C in Pakistan.

8. The efficacy of drugs of different companies can also be compared and drugs with low efficacy can be easily pointed out.

 

9. A proper screening program can be maintained with regular reminders to the patients when required. 

 

If you need more information or would like to schedule an appointment with the doctor or for hepatitis tests, please visit us at Shifa4U contact us at (042) 111-748-748 or text on Whatsapp number +92-324 744 3248

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