Chandigarh, March 3 Haryana has decided to comprehensively strengthen surveillance, reporting, and treatment monitoring of viral hepatitis under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme.
The initiative will focus on enforceable compliance, real-time data integration, and measurable outcomes to eliminate gaps in detection and treatment, Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, Sumita Misra, said on Tuesday.
It has been observed that reporting remains fragmented and largely confined to government institutions, with inadequate participation from private hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic laboratories, an official statement said.
Misra has emphasized that since Hepatitis B and C are notifiable diseases, surveillance cannot remain partial or advisory in nature; it must be comprehensive, enforceable, and outcome-oriented.
As part of the new framework, all public and private healthcare facilities will be required to report viral hepatitis positive cases on a weekly basis in a clearly defined reporting format with strict timelines.
A state-level enforceable directive will specify district-wise responsibilities to ensure completeness and accuracy of data. Any laxity in reporting, due diligence, or programme oversight will invite accountability measures.
To institutionalize surveillance, the Health Department will develop and operationalize an in-house State Digital Hepatitis Registry.
The registry will consolidate demographic details, including age, sex, block, and district, along with risk factors and a list of patients.
Special emphasis will be placed on tracking Hepatitis B positive pregnant women and ensuring that newborns receive the birth dose of Hepatitis B vaccine along with HBIG (vaccine) within 24 hours. The completion status of follow-up immunization will also be recorded to ensure full protection and prevention of vertical transmission, the statement said.
The registry will be integrated with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for early detection of case clusters and high-risk areas. Consolidated surveillance data will be periodically reviewed at the state level to prevent delays and eliminate duplication across platforms.
The strategy also envisages the integration and rationalization of existing digital platforms, including the Government of India's NVHCP MIS Portal, HMIS, RCH Portal, Integrated Health Information Platform, and U-WIN portal.
Currently, different portals capture different components of screening, vaccination, and treatment, but gaps remain in unified data visibility. The state has proposed that these systems be aligned to ensure seamless monitoring of screening coverage, high-risk group tracking, vaccination compliance, and linkage to treatment.
The feasibility of a dedicated state portal is also being evaluated, particularly in view of current limitations in central platforms, Misra said.
A strong convergence model has been designed across national health programmes to ensure universal screening and continuity of care.
Under maternal health services, all pregnant women will be screened for Hepatitis B preferably during their first antenatal visit, and those found positive will be categorized as high-risk pregnancies with mandatory counselling and referral of family members for screening. In the immunization programme, districts will ensure complete coverage of the Hepatitis B birth dose to prevent transmission at birth.
High-risk groups under the AIDS control programme, including individuals attending integrated counselling and testing centres, Antiretroviral Therapy and OST centres, will be routinely screened and vaccinated where eligible.
The strategy also extends screening services to de-addiction centres, prison inmates, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and adolescents through school and community-based awareness programmes.
To support clinical management, the model treatment centre and state laboratory at PGIMS hospital in Rohtak will be strengthened with additional equipment, human resources, and budgetary backing.
A Technical Resource Group comprising specialists from PGIMS Rohtak and other government medical colleges will provide periodic technical guidance tailored to the state's epidemiological scenario.
District-level accountability will be fixed not only for reporting but also for outcomes such as timely treatment initiation, birth-dose compliance, high-risk group coverage, and zero loss-to-follow-up. The emphasis will be on measurable indicators rather than procedural reporting alone.
Misra said the shift must be from a reactive, event-driven response to a preventive and surveillance-driven system.
Comprehensive reporting from both public and private sectors, data integration across platforms, and strict adherence to timelines are essential to achieve the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat, she said.