Panaji: The Goa government has partnered with Zydus Healthcare to launch a statewide programme for the early screening and prevention of fatty liver disease, aiming to screen three lakh people over the next three years.
The initiative, titled ‘Liver Forever’, was launched under the leadership of Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday in partnership with Zydus Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zydus Lifesciences Ltd.
Officials said the programme is the first statewide public health campaign in Goa dedicated to the early screening and prevention of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH).
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the initiative targets the screening of three lakh people from Goa’s adult population of around 14 lakh over a period of three years.
He said that the objective is to detect fatty liver disease at an early stage and prevent its progression into serious conditions such as liver cirrhosis and secondary Type 2 diabetes.
The ‘Liver Forever’ campaign will be integrated with the state’s existing healthcare system and will build on screening pilots conducted by the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Cell, he added.
Rane said that community-level screening will be carried out through the Department of Health Services at Primary Health Centres, while Goa Medical College will function as the tertiary care hub for specialised diagnostics and advanced patient management.
The screening data will also be linked to Goa’s universal health databases, enabling health authorities to monitor patients suffering from diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, which are considered major risk factors for fatty liver disease, he said.
Rane said that the programme would strengthen Goa’s healthcare model, which has already introduced initiatives such as fully digital Primary Health Centres, free IVF treatment, artificial intelligence-based screening, and day-care oncology centres.
“The ‘Liver Forever’ programme in partnership with Zydus Lifesciences is the next strategic pillar in this mission. By deploying a comprehensive screening programme for three lakh citizens through the Department of Health Services and Goa Medical College, we are changing the paradigm from reactive treatment to proactive, statewide prevention,” he said.
Managing Director of Zydus Healthcare, Swati Dalal, said that early awareness and timely medical intervention are crucial for improving liver health outcomes.
She said that the partnership would combine Zydus’ diagnostic capabilities, education-led programmes, and disease management expertise with Goa’s healthcare infrastructure to strengthen early detection and improve disease management across the state.
