Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has inaugurated the ‘Hepatitis Free Jail’ program for all jails in Punjab as part of a larger mission to eradicate the disease from the province by 2030.
Addressing the Punjab Hepatitis Free Program on Thursday, Sarwar said that after launching the Punjab and Balochistan Hepatitis Free Programmes, the government had now shifted focus towards combatting the deadly disease in jails. He said that Hepatitis Free Jails of Punjab would be a relief for us and a great milestone in hepatitis elimination. To record progress, biometric devices, vaccines, and bar code stickers would be provided in prisons, he added.
Punjab Prisons and Colonies Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, Inspector General (IG) Prisons Shahid Saleem Baig, Special Home Secretary Zahoor Hussain, Director General Hepatitis Control Program Dr Khalid Mehmood and others were present on this occasion.
“I am sure that it will protect the prisons from Hepatitis,” said Sarwar, who also distributed medicines and other equipment to Chohan and Baig on the occasion.
Sarwar also appreciated the efforts of the Hepatitis Control Program Punjab and said that all medical facilities would be provided free of cost to hepatitis B and C patients in jails. He added that every jail would be connected to the nearest District Head Quarter, Tehsil Head Quarter, or teaching hospital and ultrasound system to make the program successful.
The governor also appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan and said he was working sincerely for national progress and prosperity. Sarwar said that due to the current situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan was facing a lot of challenges and required unity to overcome them. He further added that every political party should put national interest over personal and political interests to thwart the enemies’ nefarious designs.
The governor said that the current government had an unprecedented task to strengthen the institutions. Moreover, Sarwar said that providing health facilities to citizens was the government’s top priority, and the Sehat Insaf Card initiative was proof of the commitment.
