Soon, the people will be able to avail first-class medical care for patients with liver and biliary diseases, including the liver transplant facility, at Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS) at Mohali — expected to be fully functional by this November.

Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh, chairing the first meeting of the Institute’s Governing Board on Wednesday, gave a go-ahead to establish state-of-the-art diagnostic and management facility at PILBS.

“Punjab Government has already sanctioned a grant of Rs 25 crores, as the first installment, to purchase the latest equipment for the Institute,” he said.

With Outpatient Department (OPD) services are already being provided in this prestigious Institute, Dr Balbir said that the Institute is expected to be fully functional by this November as the process to purchase ultra-modern equipment has also been initiated and the recruitment process of super-specialist doctors and other para-medical staff is also being initiated.

“Soon, patients with various types of liver diseases, including acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, alcoholic liver disease, ascites, venous and typical disorders of the liver like gallbladder and biliary diseases, and other rare liver and biliary disorders of children and adults can avail the treatment,” he added.

He added that soon, people will also be able to avail of the liver transplant procedure at this Institute, which is being established at par to The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi. “This would be the second government super-specialty institute to offer first-class medical care for patients with liver and biliary diseases in the country,” he added.