Kathmandu Metropolitan Ward 27 Partners with Bir Hospital for Free Liver Screenings for Residents

Kathmandu Metropolitan City-27 is set to conduct free liver examinations for its ward residents in collaboration with Bir Hospital. A formal agreement for this testing has already been signed between Ward Chairperson Yogesh Kumar Khadgi and the hospital's Executive Director Prof. Dr. Dilip Sharma, under the observation of KMC Acting Chief Sunita Dangol.

The agreement includes liver testing and initial treatment. Acting Chief Dangol stated that the program brought forward by the ward office for its residents is effective, given the growing risk of non-communicable diseases among city dwellers.

The risk to the liver is increasing due to addiction to smoking and alcohol. Ward Chairperson Khadgi informed that the collaboration for testing and initial treatment was initiated to educate residents about the serious problems affecting the liver due to lifestyle and dietary habits.

According to Prof. Dr. Sharma, people often avoid getting their livers checked until the problem becomes unbearable. He noted that if a disease is identified when it is treatable, a major public health crisis can be averted. Ward residents will need a referral from the Health Promotion Center for testing at the hospital, meaning initial checks will be conducted at the center.

Referred individuals will undergo tests at the hospital including Complete Blood Count (CBC), Liver Function Test (LFT), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (Gamma GT), among others. Additionally, Lipid Profile, Creatinine, Hepatitis B, HIV, Anti-HCV, and USG tests will be performed.

According to Manisha Shrestha, the focal person for Ward 27's program, liver testing is done to determine if there is a bacterial or viral infection in the body. The CBC test is performed to check for anemia by looking at hemoglobin levels, assess the immune system by checking the amount of White Blood Cells (WBC), detect bleeding or clotting issues by examining platelet count, and identify conditions like leukemia (blood cancer) or allergies, ultimately determining overall body health.

The 'LFT' test is used to determine if the liver is functioning correctly, and to check for Hepatitis A, B, or C, fatty liver, or cirrhosis. This test should also be done to understand the cause of jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin), check the effects of medication, assess liver damage from alcohol consumption, determine if there is a liver infection, and find out if the liver is swollen.

The FBS test is performed to detect sugar levels in the blood, assess the future risk of diabetes, understand the effect of existing diabetes by checking the impact of medication or insulin, and determine if the body's sugar level is normal.

Excessive alcohol consumption increases GT levels. The Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (Gamma GT) test is conducted to check if the liver is swollen due to problems with hepatitis, fatty liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts, to see if the organ is diseased or damaged, and to check the effects of medication.

The Lipid Profile test helps assess the risk of heart attack and stroke due to high cholesterol, check good and bad cholesterol profiles, determine the status of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and gauge the impact of medication and lifestyle—that is, how much health has improved through diet, physical exercise, or medication. This test checks Total Cholesterol, Bad Cholesterol, Good Cholesterol, and Triglycerides.

The Creatinine test reveals whether the kidneys are functioning properly, if there is a complex kidney disease, if kidney failure is imminent, if diabetes or high blood pressure is affecting the kidneys, and the blood filtration capacity. This test is also used to determine if currently used medications are affecting the kidneys.