New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Saturday attended an event organised by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), at the APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium, Vasant Kunj, on the occassion of World Liver Day.

Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, GNCTD & Chairman, ILBS, and Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), GNCTD, and Sangram Singh also attended the event as guests, according to an official statement released on Saturday.

This year's theme, 'Solid Habits, Strong Liver', set the tone for an event that was as much about human stories as it was about policy and numbers.

The day began with a visit to Dawat-E-Jigar, ILBS's liver health awareness food exhibition showcasing nutritious, scientifically curated, and patient-specific dietary options. The exhibition served as a vivid reminder that liver health begins not in the clinic, but at the dining table, it added.

The highlight of the morning was the formal launch of the 15-Day Healthy Liver Social Media Campaign by Lt. Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a city-wide digital initiative to carry the 'Solid Habits, Strong Liver' message to every Delhi resident. A 100-sapling plantation drive was undertaken by ILBS on the occasion, underscoring the institution's belief that the health of the liver and the health of the environment are deeply connected, a message that resonates with this year's global campaign: 'The health of your liver reflects the health of your environment.'

Free liver screening with nutrition counselling was also conducted for members of the public, continuing ILBS's tradition of making World Liver Day a day of direct community benefit.

In one of the most moving moments of the morning, Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu felicitated 12 children who have successfully undergone liver transplants at ILBS. The children, each a testament to the life-saving work done at the institution, were celebrated on stage, a powerful reminder of why World Liver Day exists: not just to raise awareness, but to save lives. The felicitation drew a standing response from the auditorium, and underlined ILBS's commitment to not just treating disease, but restoring the full promise of life, it read out.

The event also saw significant focus on the Y-Smiles project, ILBS's initiative to sensitise and screen school communities, students, teachers, and principals alike, to the importance of liver health and healthy living from an early age. Two school principals, whose institutions have been actively engaged in the Y-Smiles programme, were felicitated by the Lt Governor for their leadership in making liver health a part of school culture. The recognition signals a broader ambition: that prevention must begin in childhood, and that schools are a critical front in the fight against lifestyle-driven liver disease.

Shiv Kumar Sarin, Director & Chancellor, ILBS, in his welcome address, framed the day's theme with characteristic clarity: solid habits today mean a stronger liver tomorrow. He reiterated ILBS's dual commitment, to world-class clinical care and to taking liver health awareness to every corner of society, the release stated.

Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary (Health & FW), GNCTD, outlined the department's commitment to integrating liver screening into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and training frontline health workers. He emphasised that the four habits of this year's campaign, a balanced diet, regular physical activity, reducing alcohol, and regular liver check-ups, are clinically supported, widely accessible, and effective. He noted that liver disease now affects an estimated 40-50% of Delhi's adult population in its early fatty liver form, and urged the medical community to make liver health counselling a routine part of every clinical encounter, rather than an afterthought.

Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, GNCTD & Chairman, ILBS, delivered an address that was notable not only for its administrative substance but for its personal candour. Beyond outlining the government's commitment to making liver health a measurable public health priority, including a target to screen 5-10% of Delhi's population over the next twelve months, Verma spoke openly about his own health journey. He shared how small, deliberate changes in his daily life, including switching to a healthier diet and building regular physical activity into his routine, had made a measurable difference to his own wellbeing. 'These are not extraordinary interventions,' he said. 'They are ordinary choices, made consistently. That is the whole point of this year's theme.' His personal testimony gave weight and authenticity to the public health message in a way that data alone cannot. He described ILBS as 'not merely a hospital, but an ecosystem' and congratulated the entire ILBS team, doctors, nurses, researchers, and administrative staff, for their sustained excellence, it added.

LG Sandhu in his chief guest address, spoke about the staggering yet hopeful statistic at the heart of this year's campaign: that up to 90% of liver disease is preventable. He committed Delhi's administration to strengthening liver health screening, called on ILBS to work toward patenting its liver-healthy food formulations from the Dawat-E-Jigar initiative for wider public benefit, and expressed his aspiration for Delhi to become the first city in the country to mount a mass public awareness campaign on liver health. Launching the 15-Day Healthy Liver Social Media Campaign, he said: 'Solid Habits, Strong Liver, four words that carry the potential to save millions of lives. Let us not waste that potential.' He also expressed the desire to take ILBS global by making it a nodal center for medical tourism in the country, thus showcasing this institutes strengths to the global audience. (ANI)