ILBS becomes first WHO Collaborating Centre

The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), a deemed to be University, has been designated as the first WHO Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) on liver diseases. It will also be collaborating on viral hepatitis.

WHO collaborating centres are institutions such as research institutes, parts of universities or academies, which are designated by the Director-General of WHO to carry out activities in support of the organisation’s programmes.

As a result of the collaboration, ILBS would be able to work directly with WHO and collaborate with the world agency in developing strategies and protocols for prevention, diagnosis and management of viral hepatitis and liver diseases. The centre would also help to train and develop skilled manpower and human resource at a global scale. S K Sarin, Director of Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, said that ILBS viral hepatitis and liver diseases are amongst the greatest killers in the world. Asia houses over 75 per cent of all such cases of hepatitis B and C and liver cancer and India has close to 60 million such patients. The institute claims that they have done 177 liver transplants till date, the largest in any government hospital in India.