Firdos Liver Center (UAE)

The Problem

According to WHO 2019 report, approximately, 5 and 10 million people are affected with hepatitis B and C respectively in Pakistan. Thousands of new patients are added every year due to lack of prevention, testing and treatment resources as well as inadequately screened blood transfusion, improperly sterilized invasive medical devices and unsafe injections.

Although Pakistan produces cheaper medicines to cure hepatitis C infection, with a very low cost of US$20 per cure within three months, very few people in the country know of their infection, and therefore, do not access testing and treatment services. The cost of cure for hepatitis C could be as high as US$15,000 in a country like the US.

As most people living with hepatitis remain unaware, they could require repeated hospitalisation, expensive medicines and liver transplants, causing major financial burdens on their families as well as health systems. In many cases, patients die within 1–3 years as they get access to testing and treatment very late.

IHHN Intervention

Since 2016, Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN), initiated the HCV program with three major components:
1) Awareness and Prevention
2) Screening
3) Treatment

By now Indus has screened and treated thousands of patients with many more waiting for the treatment to commence.

Endoscopy Suite

• Management of varices: Glue injection
• Control of bleeders: Thermal coagulation; APC; Clipping
• Endoscopic ultrasound
• ERCP – Spy glass cholangioscopy

Radiology

• Specific clinic for patients with Hepatobiliary disease
• Development of ERCP services for the management of Hepatobiliary diseases
• Hepatobiliary surgeries

Hepatobiliary Services

• GI related radiological modalities: Fibro scan
• Development of VIR department for management of Bleeders; HVV; Biliary stent placements
• MRI & MRCP

Liver Transplant Unit

• Pre and post-transplant clinics for long-term follow-up patients
• Dedicated ward for transplant patients
• Provision of regular medication for post-transplant patients