Advanced hepatitis B treatment at home would reduce medical tourism: Zahid

Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Tuesday said ensuring advanced treatment for hepatitis B in Bangladesh would reduce patients' need to seek treatment abroad and help lower medical expenses.

He made the remarks at a programme organised by the Gastroenterology Society of Bangladesh at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) to mark World Hepatitis Day.

This year's theme is "Elimination for Everyone, Everywhere, Right Now."

The minister said a significant proportion of the country's population is suffering from fatty liver disease without being aware of it.

He said the number of fatty liver patients is increasing due to excessive carbohydrate consumption and urged all concerned to raise public awareness of the disease.

Referring to the appointment of Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson, Emeritus Professor of Hepatology at Imperial College London, to the Department of Hepatology at BMU, Zahid said involving foreign and regional experts in assessing students against international and regional standards would help improve the quality of medical education.

He urged other medical colleges to take similar initiatives.

During the programme, members of the Gastroenterology Society of Bangladesh demanded that hepatitis B screening be made mandatory for all pregnant women.

Describing the proposal as timely, the minister assured them of his full support to help implement it.

Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson presented the keynote paper at the event.