The State Health Department of Punjab claims that within a week, there will be an adequate supply of Hepatitis C testing kits despite the province currently experiencing a severe shortage. The districts have been told to make local purchases until then.
The state administers an average of 3,000 to 5,000 Hepatitis C tests every day. However, testing has been halted in several districts due to a shortage; Patiala, Amritsar, and Bathinda districts have been particularly badly hit.
Hepatitis C is a virus that mainly affects the liver and is commonly spread by contaminated blood, unsterilised needles, mother-to-child transmission, and intercourse. Because its symptoms usually do not manifest until the disease has advanced to an advanced stage, it is frequently referred to as a “silent killer.”
The reports state that on Monday, a number of district heads in charge of the Hepatitis C program sent urgent messages to the state headquarters demanding an instant supply of testing kits.
In private laboratories, numerous patients are compelled to take the test, which costs about ₹250.
We have been informing the state nodal officer about the kit shortage for the past week. The majority of health centres currently lack testing kits. According to a Hepatitis C program nodal officer who wished to remain anonymous, the state health department clearly showed negligence in this case.
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