HEALD Initiative

HEALD Initiative Latest News

The Union Home Minister recently unveiled the HEALD Initiative to combat liver diseases across India.

About HEALD Initiative

• HEALD (Healthy Liver Education and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease Prevention) is a first-of-its-kind nationwide initiative aimed at tackling liver disease in India .
• It was launched by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). 
• HEALD is envisioned as a multi-sectoral program combining public education, early screening, psychological and medical treatment of alcohol use disorder, and liver disease management.
• The initiative helps to tackle the disease through awareness, prevention, rehabilitation, and policy integration.
• It also aims to reduce the stigma surrounding alcohol dependence by integrating mental health support, community outreach, and policy reform into liver care.
• The initiative is grounded in the principle that "behind every failed liver lies a missed opportunity" -- and HEALD seeks to ensure no such opportunity is lost again.

Key Facts about Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences

• It is a tertiary care, super-specialty hospital located in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
• It was established in 2009 by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi as an autonomous institute under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. 
• The ILBS is a mono-super speciality hospital, which means that it provides primarily liver and biliary care.
• This focus on a single organ system allows the institute to achieve a high degree of expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of liver and biliary diseases.
• The hospital also has a dedicated research center.

HEALD Initiative FAQs

Q1. What is the HEALD Initiative?

Ans. HEALD (Healthy Liver Education and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease Prevention) is a first-of-its-kind nationwide initiative aimed at tackling liver disease in India .

Q2. Which institution launched the HEALD initiative?

Ans. Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)

Q3. What is a key focus of the HEALD initiative?

Ans. Tackling liver disease through education, prevention, and policy integration.

Source: BS