Chandigarh - Three ambitious health-related programmes were launched in Haryana on Wednesday, including H1N1 Vaccination Campaign for Health Care workers, Hepatitis-B Control Program under National Viral Hepatitis Control Program and Eye donation centres in 21 District hospitals of the state.

With this, free of cost Hepatitis-B screening, diagnosis, and treatment will now be available to the people of the state.

Read Also: Haryana Doctor relieved for posting quarantine poster outside influential person's house, later reinstated

Mr Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, after inaugurating these three programmes, addressed the civil surgeons and representatives of various hospitals from different districts of the state through video conferencing and said that the percentage of population suffering from Hepatitis B should be ascertained and directed them to prepare a work plan to deal with it.

He said that in the first phase of Hepatitis-B control program, newborns, pregnant women and inmates in state jails should be covered. Also, it should be implemented in districts like Sirsa, Hisar, Fatehabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, he added.

He directed the concerned officers to increase the Hepatitis-B screening facility in the state and check maximum number of people in the affected districts. He said that after preparing a detailed action plan of Hepatitis B control program and National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment, both the programmes will be duly implemented from the month of August.

He said that due to COVID-19 pandemic as the Health Department has come into focus due to which there has been mobilization of health workers across the state and public awareness regarding health has also increased so this time should be used productively to achieve the goals of these programs.

Read Also: Covid-19 crisis: Maharashtra doctors face salary cuts, cry foul