Dharamshala: Health Kalon Choekyong Wangchuk opened the second two-day meeting on Hepatitis B Prevention & Treatment organised by Department of Health, CTA at Administrative Training and Welfare Society in Dharamsala from 12-13 March 2019.
A total of 24 participants from Hunsur, Bhandara, Bir, Mundgod, Dekyiling, Kollegal, TMAI, Delek hospital, Odisha and Dharamshala attended the meeting, including allopathic Doctors from Delek Hospital, Physicians from seven hospitals of Department of Health, CTA, Doctors from Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute. Experts Dr Ajay Kumar, Chairman & Institute of liver and biliary disease BLK were invited for the meeting.
Secretary Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi, Additional Secretary Jigmey Tsultrim, Joint Secretary Jampa Phuntsok of Department of Health and Dr Tsetan Dorji Sadutshang; Chief Medical Officer were present at the opening session.
Dr Lobsang Tsering, Department of Health adviser, debrief on the background and introduction of the two-day meeting.
Addressing at the opening session of the two-day meeting, Health Kalon Choekyong Wangchuk greeted allopathic Doctors, Physicians, and Doctors from Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute.
He mentioned that around 1000 students from schools have undergone Hep B test so far. Currently, the program of screening and testing is going on at monasteries in Tibetan settlement.
“It is fact that in our society there is a fair number of Hep B cases and even His Holiness the Dalai Lama showed concern of health problem existing in our society, so Department of Health is trying its best to facilitate in preventing and cure of such disease. A comprehensive assessment has been done too,” he said.
He urged allopathic practitioners to work in collaboration with traditional Tibetan Sowa Rigpa to further excel to cure and prevent such disease.
In the end, Health Kalon wished all the participants a successful and fruitful meeting for the benefit of the Tibetan community.
The two-day meeting will discuss fine-tuning of SOP and the hepatitis strategy plan with the participants for suggestions. Through the meeting, Department of Health, CTA aspires to achieve a standard operating protocol for Screening and Treating Hepatitis B patients in the Tibetan Community.
The objective of the meeting was to formulate Algorithm & Standard Operating Procedure for screening, treatment and follow up of Hepatitis B positive patient, brainstorming and experience sharing on treatment challenges/barriers of HBV, discussing strategy plan and future research needs on Hepatitis B and C. During this meeting participants also discussed Tuberculosis in the Tibetan community.
Hepatitis B is seen as a chronic challenge for Tibetan Community Health, by Department of Health (DoHe), Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), resulting in the high-cost screening test, treatment, indulging economic burden with ultimate loss of lives and demeaning life quality. In order to check this health problem emerging from a Hepatitis B infected virus.
The Meeting is being funded by Population Refugee and Migration (PRM), US State Department.