With an aim to address the stigma associated with Hepatitis, the city based Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) will be organising a major awareness campaign in the national Capital on the eve of World Hepatitis Day.
India’s leading gastroenterologist & hepatologist Dr S K Sarin, Director of ILBS stressed the need to protect Hepatitis affected people from prejudice and biases while addressing a round table conference on ‘Hepatitis: Detection, Acceptance and Elimination’.
Highlighting the need for fighting myths and misconceptions associated with the disease and underlined that Hepatitis B and C were viral infections that can be suppressed with proper treatment.
“Several instances of discrimination and rejection against people with Hepatitis have come to light over the past few years including in the field of medicine. Not only have people been denied jobs because of being diagnosed with hepatitis, many are also denied work visas to some countries if they are victims of Hepatitis B. This is why we feel that government should initiate strong policy measures to address discrimination and stigmatization of patients. Enacting a law to ensure Right to Live without discrimination must also be considered,” said Dr Sarin.
Notably, the Indian government has already enacted and enforced a law that prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency (AIDS) Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 lays down clear guidelines against discrimination and places obligations on establishments to safeguard their rights.
“Many patients with chronic hepatitis experience shame, decreased self-esteem, fear, depression, and isolation. There is a sense of guilt where they hide the disease or blame themselves for being careless about prevention. Hepatitis B and C are not communicable or sexually-transmitted disease. They can only happen through blood transfusion,” Dr Sarin said.
The conclave will bring together leading healthcare experts, law makers, government representatives, social influencers and prominent personalities from different strata of the society to discuss the effective ways of addressing the chronic disease. The ILBS is an autonomous institute under the Delhi government, established in 2009.