Amity School Students create Awareness regarding Prevention of Hepatitis on the occasion of Hepatitis Day

New Delhi: To spread awareness regarding healthy liver and make India a Hepatitis free nation, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi under the patronage of Govt of NCT of Delhi organized 22nd Hepatitis Day on the theme “Health through Liver” at ILBS, New Delhi.

Like every year, Hepatitis Day was organized with the aim to raise awareness about Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, prevention of new infections and how to improve health outcomes of people living with Hepatitis B and C.

Mr. Satyendra Jain, Minister for Home, Health and Industries, Delhi inaugurated the art exhibition displaying 183 posters and also cartoons made by artists from over 40 countries to humorously depict the plight of the liver in the body. There was enthusiastic participation from students of different schools of NCT of Delhi and it was a pleasant experience to see the zeal with which students recited poem on the topic and showcased their creative take on it. Among schools, there was an overwhelming response from students of Amity International Schools who had put up around 153 posters.

Commenting on the issue of rising cases of fatty liver among, hon’ble health minister stated that more than 50 per cent population the population over 30 years of age is prone to this disease. “This disease takes a minimum 15-20 years of liver abuse to surface,” shared the hon’ble minister. He also advised participants to stay away from alcohol, cigarette and fast food and other things that directly and indirectly adversely affect liver. “Liver malfunctioning is the cause behind a number of heart, brain or kidney diseases. So, it’s important to take care of our liver,” averred the minister. He also advised people to follow intermittent fasting for at least 16 hours to reverse the damage done to liver. He also emphasized on adopting positive thinking as it also aids in building immunity and maintain good health.

Brand Ambassador of ILBS Empathy Campaign – Hon’ble Member of Rajya Sabha, Ms. M C Mary Kom, World Boxing Champion and Brand Ambassador, Hepatitis took a pledge to spread awareness about the disease in schools across Delhi. Also, hon’ble Health Minister in the presence of other dignitaries launched the Hepatitis Awareness videos which will be screened in cinema halls across Delhi NCR.

Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences emphasized on the importance of screening of Hepatitis B & C and encouraged students and guests to extend their support towards the yellow ribbon campaign. He said, “Everyone must pledge support to keep their own liver healthy and also those of their families and friends.” He thanked the dignitaries for their support to the cause and expressed gratefulness that the Delhi government had been very supportive of the activities of the institute.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education Group lauded Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin for his dedication, hard work and persuasion to spread the awareness about this deadly disease. He appreciated the participation of students which he said is extremely important as they are instrumental in further spreading the knowledge amongst their family members, peers etc from what they have learnt today, so that more and more people are sensitized about the issue and the disease can be eradicated from the grassroots. He expressed that with the contribution of every individual, India will soon take the lead in spreading the awareness about Hepatitis. Dr. Chauhan averred that through such public private partnerships, the awareness and prevention of liver diseases can increase manifold and reach masses faster.

Mr. Vijay Kumar Dev, Chief Secretary, Govt of NCT of Delhi said “Hepatitis has become major healthcare burden in India and is known as a silent killer. Hepatitis is amongst the top biggest evils on health front including HIV, AIDs and Tuberculosis.” He averred that 90% of hepatitis patients are not aware about suffering from the disease at early stages, making it a major healthcare challenge. He emphasized upon the significance of awareness generation and human resource development, particularly at the school level.

As part of Hepatitis day, Quiz, Poster Making and Poetry Competitions were organized wherein over 220 students from various schools of Delhi/NCR such as ten Amity International Schools, The Indian School, Bal Bharti Public School, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Air Force School and Mahavir Sr. Model School participated.

The first prize was bagged by Akaisha Mathur from Amity International School, Vasundhra 6, second prize by Divya Upadhyay from Amity International School Mayur Vihar and third prize was presented to Chetan Kumar from Bhartiya Vidhya Bhawan Mehta Vidhyalaya in poetry competition.

In Poster making completion, the first position was bagged by Shubhashri Rana from Amity International School, Vasundhra 6, Shruti Goyal from Bhartiya Vidhya Bhawan Mehta Vidyalaya stood at second position and Nishika from Bal Bharti Public School, Rajinder Nagar received the third position.