THE opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Liver Specialists Conference was held yesterday morning at the Lotte Hotel in Yangon.

The ceremony was attended by Union Minister for Health Dr Thet Khaing Win, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Soe Thein, Yangon Region ministers, departmental officials, rectors, professors, deans, medical superintendents as well as chairpersons and officials from the Myanmar Medical Council, Myanmar General Practitioners’ Society, and Myanmar Medical Association. International guests included APASL President Professor Necati Örmeci (Türkiye), APASL Steering Committee Chairman Professor Shiv Sarin (India), and National Association of Liver Specialists of India President Professor Barjesh Chander Sharma, along with liver specialists from Myanmar and abroad.

At the opening ceremony, the Union minister emphasized the conference’s focus on cirrhosis and its complications. He noted that cirrhosis is a global health problem, and liver disease can lead to complications such as brain inflammation, sepsis, and liver cancer. While liver transplantation remains the only definitive cure for patients with cirrhosis, the conference will also address alternative treatment options for liver and organ damage caused by the disease.

The Union minister highlighted the Ministry of Health’s ongoing efforts to advance the treatment of liver and gastrointestinal diseases, including publishing guidelines for managing hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other gastrointestinal conditions. He noted that the hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborns as part of the routine immunization program, and hepatitis C treatment has been available nationwide under the Hepatitis C Control Plan since 2017, with free medicines provided to patients. Efforts are ongoing to eliminate hepatitis C in Myanmar.

In addition, the Union minister mentioned that equipment capable of accurately assessing liver scarring has been installed in public hospitals, Gastroenteroscopes have been provided to hospitals with over 200 beds, and liver transplantation for liver cancer patients has been successfully implemented. He emphasized that these achievements are the result of collaboration between the hepatology and surgery departments. The conference, he said, will provide an opportunity to discuss new methods for treating cirrhosis and its complications, as well as the latest techniques in liver disease treatment.

The opening ceremony also featured a traditional Myanmar dance performance.

The conference will be held on 13 and 14 December, with hepatologists from China, India, Korea, Japan, Türkiye, Australia, Armenia, and ASEAN countries sharing knowledge and practical treatment experiences with Myanmar specialists. Reports indicate that 45 hepatologists from 18 countries and a total of 320 hepatologists, specialists, and doctors from Myanmar are participating.

MNA/MKKS

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