Amitabh Bachchan calls for increased awareness on World Hepatitis Day

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan attended the World Hepatitis Day 2016 Symposium organised by the World Health Organisation and Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare held in Mumbai. The superstar spoke about the enormity of the issue at length.

The star who himself is surviving on a precarious 25 per cent of his liver ever since it got damaged by the Hepatitis B virus, called for a higher budget to be invested on the prevention of the fatal disease.

The ‘Piku’ actor said the awareness needed to be extended on to the ‘Aanganwaadis’, the government run women and children centres.
"The government of Maharashtra has a wonderful scheme where they help and work along with what is commonly known as aanganwadi... I think it will be a wonderful idea if they (government) can include this process of how to educate these aanganwadis in hepatitis," the actor said.

The actor vociferously empathised with victims pledging unconditional support to the cause.

"There are various programmes that the government does. We need to have a very consorted programme to put the programme of hepatitis on a more definitive basis. We need to have a designated amount of budget put across towards hepatitis so that we can all work towards its eradication” , the 73-year-old actor added.

The ‘Paa’ actor is also the brand ambassador of the awareness campaign.

"There are various programmes that the government does. We need to have a very consorted programme to put the programme of hepatitis on a more definitive basis. We need to have a designated amount of budget put across towards hepatitis so that we can all work towards its eradication", he concluded.