About Pakistan Society of Hepatology

History of PSH

25 years ago, the Pakistan Society of Hepatology (PSH) was founded by pioneers in the field of intestinal and liver disease in the country because it was felt at the time that Hepatology had matured enough as a field that it be given a separate forum, platform, and voice in the professional circles in the country.

Since the time of its inception, the Pakistan Society of Hepatology had always strived to be a forum where leaders in the field of Hepatology, both National and International, would come together and share ideas and experiences in terms of intervention, research, experiences with different treatment options and patient outcomes so as to benefit the general cadre of professionals in the country. In addition, the Society would serve as a forum and platform where new ideas and directions could be given to professionals for developing unique approaches to liver disease.

Both of these stark realities thereby mean that Hepatology is a cornerstone of healthcare in the country especially as fatty liver disease is not a single disease by itself. It is an entity encompassing metabolic syndrome, which itself is an entity encompassing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and various different types of cancer. All of these diseases are diseases of a bad lifestyle.

In essence, having a forum such as PSH in partnership with professionals in the field of internal medicine, nutrition, endocrinology, cardiology, and nephrology can make joint solutions to treat not only those who have been afflicted with this disease but also, and more importantly, partner with healthcare agencies, both public and private, so as to have a more meaningful strategy to prevent the development of these ailments in the general population. This makes more sense if one also sees that this disease complex makes up the largest chunk of healthcare budgets of nearly every country in the world. Hence, the annual meetings of the Pakistan Society of Hepatology for the past 7 years have been focusing heavily on the treatment of fatty liver disease, and that is also the reason whereby collaborative sessions with the societies of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine have recently been standard components of our conference programs.

In addition to focusing on current and upcoming ailments and bringing in experts from around the world in their respective fields, the Society also puts great effort into encouraging young investigators in various GI and Hepatology units around the country to share and present their research. This serves two purposes: firstly, to instill a level of confidence among future generations of specialists in Hepatology. Secondly, this allows exposure of these young fellows and fellows-in-training to a high-quality international conference in their own country where leaders in Hepatology come in and share their latest experiences from the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Today, PSH has assumed a leading position to provide opportunities of development of professional competency and proficiency of those who come across liver diseases in everyday clinical practice. It provides a rich multi-faceted environment to junior clinicians who are interested to adopt a Hepatology-based career. In addition, it gives ideas for research for practicing Hepatologists faced with unanswered challenges that require deeper study into liver disease.