Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched Project EMPATHY (Empowering People Against Hepatitis), at a function organized in observation of World Hepatitis Day, 28th July, 2018 at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). The function was also attended by Sh. Sanjeev Khirwar, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Government of NCT Delhi, Dr. S.K. Sarin, Director, ILBS, Ms. Rumana Hamied, CEO, Cipla Foundation and several dignitaries from the Government and Corporate sector.
Shri Sanjeev Jindal, General Manager (Engg. & CSR) from AAI and Dr. Vimal Rai Sharma, Deputy Head (Operations) from ILBS signed an MoU for the project aimed at creating a sense of empathy and awareness about Hepatitis. AAI under its CSR initiative will provide financial assistance of Rs.20 crores to ILBS for four years. Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, AAI expressed his happiness on this occasion and said “AAI aims to raise awareness and empathy around Hepatitis across the country by signing this MoU with ILBS for this innovative project”.
Viral Hepatitis affects nearly 325 million people worldwide; with nearly 60 million Indians suffering from this condition. Chronic Hepatitis B and C remain the leading causes for severe liver damage in the form of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Though, there has been terrific advancement in areas of diagnostics and treatment modalities available for these conditions, there is much left to be done when it comes to awareness about the disease & coverage of testing and treatment facilities. It is important to address these gaps so that we progress towards eliminating this disease.
Project Empathy, a four-year project being implemented by ILBS, is focused on empowering people against hepatitis. This comprehensive campaign aims to destigmatize Hepatitis and create an enabling environment for individuals with Hepatitis and their families in India for social participation. One arm of the project will be focused on generating awareness about Hepatitis B and C across India through sustained advocacy and tailored behavior change communication, and the other arm would be focused on creating a conducive policy environment.
Speaking on the occasion, Director ILBS Dr. S.K. Sarin expressed regret that children get this disease from their mothers for no fault of theirs. He exhorted everyone to “Be Aware and Make Aware” and to take a pledge to get every new born vaccinated for protection of Hepatitis.