In a first, state to screen 3 lakh people over 3 years for fatty liver

Panaji: In a first-ever state-wide public health campaign dedicated to the early screening and prevention of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) state govt will screen three lakh people over a period of three years.Goa govt has partnered with Zydus Healthcare, a wholly-owned-subsidiary of Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, an innovation-led global lifesciences company, to launch the ‘Liver Forever’ programme in Goa.“The objective is to arrest the progression of fatty liver into fatal conditions like liver cirrhosis and secondary type-2 diabetes,” said health minister Vishwajit Rane.The ‘Liver Forever’ campaign will be integrated directly into Goa’s robust healthcare programme, extending the recent screening pilots conducted by the state’s non-communicable diseases (NCD) cell.The initiative will see screening conducted at PHCs and CHCs through the health department. GMC will be the tertiary hub handling specialised diagnostics and advanced patient management.The screening data will align with Goa’s existing universal health database allowing medical teams to track comorbid patients suffering from diabetes, obesity, and hypertension—the primary drivers of fatty liver disease.

The initiative will cover not only initial public screening but also lifestyle modification counselling, medical intervention, and routine follow-up care.“Through pioneering initiatives like India’s first fully digital PHCs, free IVF treatment, AI adoption for screening, day care oncology centres and our life-cycle wellness vision, we are turning the Goa Model of Healthcare into a gold standard for the entire nation. The ‘Liver Forever’ programme is the next strategic pillar in this mission. By deploying a comprehensive screening for three lakh citizens, the department of health services, and Goa Medical College, are changing the paradigm from reactive treatment to proactive, state-wide prevention.

Our goal is to establish Goa as India’s absolute leader in public health while securing a healthier, more productive future for every family,” he said.