Amitabh Bachchan to create awareness on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Amitabh Bachchan inaugurates NASH clinic at KEM Hospital, vows to campaign for awareness and eradication of liver disease.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan inaugurated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s first non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) clinic on Monday at the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College (GSMC). He has vowed to campaign for NASH and create awareness to get rid of the disease that could become the next epidemic. This is the centenary year of the hospital and college.

NASH is a disease in which fat accumulates in the liver, causing inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis (damaged liver), or liver cancer.

Mr. Bachchan pointed out that if the government provides support, the disease can be eradicated. “With Central support, India was made polio-free, it took eight years. Without government support, we won’t be able to do anything, so if the government provides support, we can eradicate NASH.”

Touching on his personal journey of being diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis B virus (HBV), in which he lost 75% of his liver, he said, “I survived TB and HBV because of the doctor’s diagnosis. I gave myself up to the medical fraternity, and within six months my TB was cured, and today I am surviving on 25% of my liver. Get yourself to the doctor. If you catch the illness in time, you can heal and survive.”

Speaking about the evolution of medical services, he said, “I have been in and out of hospitals since the 1950s and during a surgery last year. I saw the medical changes that doctors have introduced, making the process far more efficient and effective.”

GSMC and KEM Hospital were both founded in 1926. Gastroenterology department doctors at the NASH clinic will evaluate patients suffering from fatty liver and provide personalised treatment. 

Gastroenterologist and Mr. Bachchan’s doctor, Dr. Jayant Barve, was also present at the inauguration of NASH. Mr. Barve said, “We decided to do something for a larger section of society in the backdrop of the centenary; when we were students, hepatitis A was an epidemic caused by water; in the late 60s, another type of hepatitis, which was asymptomatic, contagious, and deadly, became a public health hazard; in the late 80s, hepatitis C was the threat, and now NASH. Now we require Mr. Bachchan to create awareness and want him to become the brand ambassador.”