New Delhi: On Wednesday, Nobel laureate and social activist Kailash Satyarthi stressed the value of compassion in addressing the prevention and management of alcohol misuse in society.
At the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), he was giving a speech.
The ILBS on Wednesday launched a campaign called PLAY-SAFE (‘Protecting Liver From Alcohol Use In Youth Enhancing Societal and Familial Awareness’) in honour of World Liver Day, which is celebrated annually on 19 April and aims to increase public awareness of liver illnesses and their prevention.
The ILBS stated in a statement that the event included a series of speeches and an interactive panel discussion that underlined the significance of societal and familial awareness for battling alcohol-related liver disorders.
While citing a few real-life examples, Satyarthi, guest of honour at the event, emphasised the “importance of compassion” in dealing with the prevention and control of alcohol abuse in society.
He promised to provide his wholehearted support in this endeavour to tackle the abuse of alcohol and prevent its health and societal complications, the statement said.
The social activist invited all the participants present at the venue to take a pledge on increasing awareness regarding the ill effects of alcohol in youth (‘#Let Liver Live’), it said.
Dr S K Sarin, Vice Chancellor, ILBS, in his introductory speech, emphasised the increasing burden of alcohol-related liver disease in India, especially among the younger age groups.
He voiced his concern over the “increasing number of young citizens” requiring liver transplants due to cirrhosis as a result of alcohol abuse.
Sarin stressed that “per capita alcohol consumption in India had increased by 60 per cent in the last decade and of the total admissions in ILBS, 48 per cent are that of alcoholic liver disease”.
“Alcohol is now the commonest cause of liver cancer in Europe and without transplant mortality due to severe alcoholic hepatitis within 28 days is 40 per cent which is more than any cancer,” he said.
The doctor emphasised that “deaths due to ALD have tripled in the recent past and more so after COVID-19. The WHO has declared that a safe limit for consumption is zero alcohol and 59 per cent of harmful effects of alcohol are in young population,” he said.
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