Punjab's 1st superspecialty centre, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Mohali, to start soon

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, May 12

Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Mohali, which is going to start its OPD services soon, will be the first government superspecialty institute in any branch of medicine or surgery in the state. The 50-bed institute will offer OPD as well as indoor services.

After Delhi, it will be second such institute for liver diseases in the country.

Apart from offering treatment for all kinds of liver ailments as well as liver transplant surgery, it will also offer DM course in hepatology and gastrointestinal surgery.

Dr Virendra Singh, a liver specialist and former head of PGI’s department of hepatology, has been appointed the first director of the institute. He said the institute had started the process of recruitment of super specialists, faculty and paramedical staff for nine specialties that include hepatology, hepatology surgery, anaesthesia and intensive care, radiology, pathology, microbiology, biochemistry, transfusion medicine and hospital administration.

“Looking at the high prevalence of diseases like liver cirrhosis and hepatitis-C in Punjab, such a facility should have come up long back,” Dr Singh said, adding that besides offering routine services, the institute would be connected with district hospitals through telemedicine.