World Liver Day: KEM hospital awaits more crowd to visit NASH clinic

This World Liver Day, observed on April 19 each year, doctors at KEM Hospital highlighted a growing public health concern: fatty liver disease. The hospital’s specialised Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) OPD, inaugurated in Jan by actor Amitabh Bachchan, has seen around 100 patients to date. But most of them, doctors said, have been hospital employees or their relatives.
NASH, a serious progression of fatty liver disease that can lead to liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even cancer, is becoming increasingly common.
KEM Hospital’s dedicated NASH OPD, open every Friday, offers diagnostics, including fibroscan and ultrasound, along with counselling for dietary and lifestyle interventions. Yet the clinic’s reach has remained limited.
“A lot of nurses, ward attendants, and their relatives visited the clinic. But we want the facility to reach people at large,” said Dr Akash Shukla, who heads the gastroenterology department and oversees the OPD.
Earlier studies have indicated a 16% prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) among Mumbaikars. But public awareness, Dr Shukla said, remains low.
At hospitals like KEM, patients who visit general outpatient departments (OPDs) are referred for specialist evaluation if physicians suspect underlying issues.
Another doctor from the department noted that “at least 20 people referred to in the hospital’s regular OPD are suspected fatty liver cases, of which 15 get confirmed”. Those with conditions like obesity or diabetes are tested.
The global medical community is also moving away from the term NASH in favour of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), said Dr Ravi Mohanka, director of liver transplant at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital.
“MASH pinpoints the scope to metabolic conditions like obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, which are commonly associated with fatty liver unlike the earlier umbrella term,” he said. A decade ago, the condition accounted for a small fraction of liver transplant cases.
Today, Dr Mohanka said, nearly half of all liver transplants stem from end-stage MASH, and early intervention is the only solution.
While the disease can progress to cirrhosis, doctors said that lifestyle changes—especially around diet and exercise—can often stabilise or even reverse the condition.
KEM dean Dr Sangeeta Rawat said efforts are underway to reach broader outreach and draw more of the public to the dedicated OPD.