The first international conference of the Saudi Society for Liver Diseases and Transplantation will be held next Tuesday. Dr. Al-Omair: “The National Liver Program” is a strategic plan for early detection of “the virus.” Dr. Ahmed Al-Omair, President of the Saudi Society for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, emphasized that there are major problems It confronts them in treating "liver diseases", which requires active intervention from the official health institution Especially in the field of diagnosis and early detection of the virus, as there is an absence of documented statistics, adding that the "National Liver Program" project represents the first organized strategic plan for specialized treatment of all liver diseases, seeking to reduce the percentage of damage before it reaches its late stages.
Speaking to “Riyadh” on the occasion of the first international conference of the Saudi Society for Liver Diseases and Transplantation next Tuesday, he said: The conference comes in cooperation with King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam - one of the liver transplant centers in the Kingdom - and under the auspices of “Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah” - Minister of Health - And its purpose is not only to communicate with doctors within the Kingdom, but to expand the scope of participation, as it will include guests from the Gulf countries and the Arab region, as well as (13) speakers from America and Europe, indicating that the role of scientific societies should not be limited to stimulating scientific research, and the meeting between Specialization doctors and the exchange of information and experience among them. It must include the development of medical practice for doctors in all sectors. The following is the text of the dialogue.
The role of scientific societies should include developing medical practice in all sectors
Early detection
What are the problems that face you to treat liver disease?
There are basic problems in dealing with the health burden of liver disease, which calls for the effective intervention of the official health institution. Especially in the field of diagnosis and early detection of viruses, with follow-up and treatment programs, as well as the absence of documented statistics, as we lack a national record of liver diseases, at a time when these diseases are at the forefront of the most widespread health cases in society, I am here calling for coordination of the efforts made by the Ministry of Health And placing them in more effective frameworks in the long run, in order to achieve the desired benefit.
What about the "National Liver Program" project submitted to the Ministry by the Association?
It represents the first organized strategic plan for specialized treatment of all liver diseases of various levels and types, in an effort to reduce the percentage of damage from these diseases before they reach their late stages, as transplantation operations face difficulties at the global level, but it increases in us, in light of the scarcity of donors, compared to The size of the need and the increasing number of patients with "cirrhosis".
If we move to control programs after early detection, the situation will change in the interest of the infected
400 doctors
Tell us about the Saudi Association for Liver Diseases and Transplantation?
It is a professional scientific association licensed by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, established more than three years ago, and like any association in the process of establishment, it took time to communicate with doctors and specialists, until their number reached more than (400) doctors currently in various branches There are monthly activities such as liver clubs in three cities: Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, where doctors from each region meet and discuss developments in the specialty, with periodic activities in cooperation with all regions and health sectors To provide continuous health education programs, in addition to revitalizing and developing various medical research, it is also concerned with public awareness related to liver diseases, and has issued various awareness booklets, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Saudi Charitable Society for Liver Patients, it organized awareness activities across the Kingdom for citizens on the Day of Hepatitis Global.
Agriculture is considered a final solution to fibrosis and tumors, but the problem is the lack of donors!
Senior guests
What about the first international conference of the Saudi Society of Liver Diseases and Transplantation, which will be held next Tuesday?
The conference comes in cooperation with King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam - one of the liver transplant centers in the Kingdom - and is under the patronage of “Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah” - the Minister of Health - and its purpose is not only to communicate with doctors inside the Kingdom, but to expand the scope of participation, as it will include guests from The Gulf countries and the Arab region, their number reaches (40), alongside (13) international speakers from America and Europe, and over a period of two days there are (12) sessions, where approximately (35) papers were presented to the conference from inside the Kingdom, and the oral presentation (10) was approved. Papers, while (25) papers will appear in the form of "posters". The main topics will be discussed in chronic liver viruses (B) and (C), as well as liver tumors, along with some other diseases such as "fat deposition" in the liver, and "channel diseases." And “Exposure to Medicines and Herbs”, and the conference will present special sessions on the topic of liver transplantation and its developments.
Early detection prevents liver transplantation
Follow up and treatment
There are programs implemented by the Ministry of Health in relation to liver disease. Have they achieved success?
The Ministry of Health’s program for hepatitis B vaccinations for all born in the Kingdom since nearly (23) years has achieved great success, as has the sanitary ware screening program applied in the Kingdom’s hospitals, with early screening programs for liver viruses, for pregnant women, blood donors and health sector workers, as well as applicants. For universities and military colleges and others, as these programs have contributed to limiting the transmission of liver viruses, and the Ministry recently added pre-marital examinations, and these all contribute to the concept of early detection, but they were not linked to the most important step, which is treatment and follow-up programs, and these programs despite their success However, it is not sufficient, given that the transmission of the virus can be controlled within the hospital environment, while it is difficult to monitor people''s contact with each other in the community, and it is assumed that the follow-up and treatment of everyone who has proven the presence of the disease is the best plan to control the spread of the disease, which is what we miss Currently, the Ministry’s plans for this comprehensive control of liver diseases still need more clarity of the parameters, criticizing the failure to transfer those who test positive for the disease through the various early examination channels to hospitals. To follow up the diagnosis and treatment, in the event that they discover the virus, or other liver diseases.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Omair
What is the role of scientific societies in facing the seriousness of the disease?
The World Health Organization recently added chronic liver viruses as one of the most burdensome diseases, due to the complications and deaths they cause, which requires the development of detailed plans and programs for prevention, control and treatment in every country, hence the role of scientific societies, as it is not limited to stimulating scientific research and meeting Among the doctors of the specialization and the exchange of information and experience between them, but also the development of the medical practice of doctors in all sectors, and from here the association will launch during the conference three standards, the practice of diagnosing and treating viral, TB and liver tumors, as well as contributing with the health policy maker in developing strategic plans, in addition to improving The service provided in general, for this reason, the Society presented the National Liver Program to the Ministry of Health, centered around creating a main department under the ministry’s umbrella, and coordinators associated with it in the regions of the Kingdom, communicating with hospitals and doctors, while creating a national registry for liver patients, under the supervision of this program In order for the patient not to get lost after his diagnosis, whatever the examinations he conducted, and for the treating doctor to be able to provide the steps for diagnosis, follow-up and treatment according to the approved standards of the program, and with continuous and accurate follow-up by the program management and coordinators.
A more comprehensive perception
What is the vision of the National Liver Program?
Within a year or two from the implementation of the idea, the Ministry of Health will have a more accurate and comprehensive perception of the prevalence and percentage of liver diseases in the Kingdom, allowing the development of more accurate control and treatment plans, and even giving the various medical teams the opportunity to provide follow-up and treatment procedures, and discover complications at the most appropriate and most appropriate timing for response. Where liver tumors are one of the most important complications of chronic disease, and the most traumatic for patients and their families, the information available from the National Oncology Registry shows that liver tumors are the most common among men in the Kingdom for the last ten years, but they declined after "colon tumors", according to the reports published for the National Registry, Stressing the need to adopt proactive methods in dealing with liver diseases. If we move to treatment and control programs after early detection, the situation will change positively for the benefit of patients, as the response rate of (C) virus to treatment, for example, reaches 75%, and in the case of a virus ( B) It may not be completely eliminated, but it can be kept under control, thus stopping the patient from reaching the stage of fibrosis, tumors and the need for transplantation, and here the Ministry of Health must allocate parallel paths to deal with all the most burdensome diseases There is great health throughout the year, and that interest in a specific disease does not affect other diseases.
Liver transplant
Tell us about the problems facing liver transplantation?
Transplantation is a final solution for patients with cirrhosis or liver tumors in their early stages, but they face a major problem represented in the lack of donors compared to cases, which drives many to travel abroad to seek treatment, and liver transplantation is of two types, one of which is donation from relatives, where the patient coordinates And his family and transplant centers directly, while the other depends on the donation of the brain dead, and the scheduling of this type of operations is subject to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, which has the legal and supervisory role in distributing this vital resource important for the lives of the needy, which is obtained through the families of the brain dead, or Through the personal desires that the center receives from some people with their consent to benefit from their members after death, as the center worked to enhance this culture among citizens, through its association with the legitimate scientific fatwa that desires to do so, as an inference to God Almighty saying: “And whoever revives it has revived all people », But with this the number of donors is small, a
