800 doctors trained to detect hepatitis, fatty liver disease early

Viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are both potentially life-threatening, yet preventable and treatable illness that can be effectively managed if diagnosed early. To make this a reality at the grassroots level, the state government has been actively training doctors posted at primary healthcare settings. Over the past year, more than 800 such doctors have received specialised training to enhance early detection and treatment capabilities.

Under the programme, the doctors at primary and community health centres, civil hospitals and medical colleges are being trained to identify the early symptoms of these diseases and begin treatment without delay to prevent disease progression and improve patient outcomes.

Both viral hepatitis and NAFLD are now covered under national health programmes, with prevalence in India estimated at 6 per cent for hepatitis and a significant 25 per cent for NAFLD. The doctors are being trained to detect and manage Hepatitis B and C cases under the guidance of Dr Parveen Malhotra from the PGIMS and Dr Parveen Boora, State Nodal Officer at the national viral hepatitis control programme (NVHCP), Haryana.

“There is an urgent need to equip grassroots doctors with basic knowledge of hepatitis B and C, given the high patient load. The goal is to manage uncomplicated cases locally and refer more complex ones to the PGIMS. Besides Haryana, we have trained the doctors from other states including Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, and the North-Eastern region as well through the extension for community healthcare outcomes (ECHO) virtual platform,” said Dr Malhotra, senior professor and head, department of medical gastroenterology, PGIMS, Rohtak,

He said under the second phase, the focus had been shifted to NAFLD through a virtual training programme jointly conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services, Haryana, PGIMS Rohtak, and ECHO India.

Dr Braham Deep Singh, Director (Health Services), said, “This is a crucial component of our strategy to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases in the state. We are enhancing the skills of the doctors and CHOs to detect NAFLD early and intervene appropriately.” Dr Ompal Singh Saini, Deputy Director, and Dr Gerish Atri, State Programme Officer, claimed that 100 Medical Officers and 700 CHOs had been trained so far through this initiative.

Dr (Col) Kumud Rai, Chairman of ECHO India, and Dr Sunil Anand, Executive Director, said ECHO India was a non-profit trust focused on empowering professionals through its tele-mentoring ‘Hub and Spoke’ model.