Punjab Government has established 108 sample collection centres for diagnostic tests of Hepatitis-C and 70 such centres for Hepatitis-B across the State.
The laboratory tests and investigations would be done free of cost here, said the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani while presiding over a meeting of senior officers and the civil surgeons.Jayani said that the Punjab government has already included chronic diseases of Hepatitis B and C under “Punjab Nirogi Yojana” in which patients falling in BPl category or yellow card holders are entitled to treatment up to `1.5 lakh.
“Now, the health department has finalised the rate contract for Hepatitis B and C drugs to be supplied at subsidised rates at Jan Aushadhi Stores in all districts,” he said.
Referring to the State Government’s initiative to identify suspected patients of Hepatitis-C, Health and Family Welfare secretary Vinni Mahajan said that all patients suspected with the disease would be examined by physician or hematologist and would undergo baseline investigation (HCV RNA) for confirmation of diagnosis followed by viral load investigation at four weeks, 12 weeks, 24 or 48 weeks and finally three months after the end of treatment.
“All these lab investigations would be provided free of cost at 108 sample collection centers of designated lal Path lab in all districts, as per arrangement with supplying firm as contained in rate contract,” she said.Mahajan said that HBV DNA for Hepatitis-B at baseline and viral load twice in first year and then every year will also be provided free of cost by SRl laboratory in each district, a designated lab through Ranbaxy laboratories, supplying drugs for Hepatitis-B at subsidised rates through Jan Aushadhi Stores.