The Sarwar Foundation Monday announced launch of the ‘Hepatitis-free jails’ drive across Punjab with an aim to overcome the disease.
Talking to the media persons here, Foundation Chairperson Begum Perveen Sarwar said that in the first phase of the dive, prison’s staff and officers would be tested for hepatitis, along with prisoners and those suffering from hepatitis would be treated free-of-cost.
She said: “We have been working for eradication of hepatitis since 2018. In this regard, we also set up free camps in Balochistan and Azad Kashmir, besides Punjab.” So far the foundation had screened more than 120,000 people and more than 70,000 treated free-of-charges, she said and added that hepatitis camps were also being set up in urban and rural areas of the country.
Begum Perveen Sarwar said that collective efforts were needed to eradicate hepatitis as around 300 people were dying daily due to hepatitis in Pakistan, which was a matter of concern. She added the Sarwar Foundation, in collaboration with the government institutions, had initiated a programme under which free medial camps would be set up in jails to diagnose hepatitis among prisoners and free medical treatment would be provided to them.
It was important to provide clean drinking water to people to protect them from dangerous diseases like hepatitis for which the Sarwar Foundation had become the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan by providing clean drinking water to 2.2 million people daily across the country, she added.
