A CLOSE aide of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and a leading Indian surgeon have announced the formation of a Liver Care Forum to treat patients with liver disease in India and Pakistan.
Pakistan People’s Party leader Jahangir Badr and Indian surgeon Arvinder Singh Soin pledged to work together against hepatitis and other liver diseases affecting millions of people in both the countries.
Soin, considered to be one of India’s leading liver transplant surgeons, said, “People living on the two sides of the border have identical problems, besides the prevalence of diseases like hepatitis. More than eight million people in Pakistan and 50 million in India are suffering from hepatitis B.”
“Unfortunately, the number of Hepatitis C patients in Pakistan has touched 10 million. This figure is alarmingly high,” he said.
He added that despite skilled and globally acknowledged health and medical experts present in both countries, patients often travel to developed countries for care.
“It is a matter of grave concern that the people of both countries prefer to go to other developed states for healthcare facilities,” Soin said at a news conference at Lahore Press Club on Saturday (November 3).
“I have visited many health institutions in Lahore and met several medical experts who are very keen to work together in the health profession,” he said.
Soin said the Pakistan-India Liver Care Forum will help in two key areas — prevention and care for widely prevalent diseases. If required, he would perform liver transplants in Pakistan with the help of local professionals, he said.
Badr said he would talk to the government about helping Pakistani patients get visas for treatment in India.
He said the new forum is aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries by taking care of people from both sides through a common platform.
The forum would help medical experts share their expertise, experiences and knowledge, Badr said.
Dozens of Pakistanis visit India every year for treatment of liver ailments.
