BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : Doctors and health specialists on Thursday demanded reservation in higher education and jobs for people living with Hepatitis B and C, in line with the handicapped.

The doctors also reminded the press and law makers about the need to create awareness about Hepatitis disease by mentioning it in Parliament and stating that it is more dangerous than other silent diseases.

Dr (Prof) S K Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), told DTMT, “Some institutions maintain discriminatory policies and practices that prevent individuals living with chronic viral hepatitis from pursuing professional opportunities even though hepatitis B is vaccine preventable and hepatitis B and C are treatable.”

Dr Sarin stated, “Stigma has a direct detrimental influence on mental and physical health. In some situations, the discovery of the disease or the beginning of the treatment can lead to significant changes in the lives of patients.”

Many patients with chronic hepatitis experience shame, decreased self-esteem, fear, depression and isolation. There is a sense of guilt where they hide the disease or attribute it to themselves for being careless, the ILBS director disclosed.

In order to create awareness and accept the patients as a part of society, ILBS will organize a major conclave ‘Empathy 2019’ in Delhi to mark World Hepatitis Day on July 28.

The day-long conclave will bring together leading healthcare experts, law makers, government representatives, social influencers and prominent personalities from different strata of society to discuss effective ways of addressing the chronic disease.

The conclave will focus on spreading awareness about HBV and HVC and address the stigma associated with the disease by encouraging dialogue among policy makers, programme managers, care providers, civil society and the patients.