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Where to get tested for hepatitis B in Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
You can get a hepatitis B test at a government hospital or health centre, at most private labs, through your family doctor or in antenatal care. Ask for HBsAg, a simple blood test. This page explains which tests to ask for, how cost varies, what a positive result means for you and your family, and when it is worth seeing an oncologist. At CION Cancer Clinics, our specialists help you understand your own risk and plan regular liver checks that fit it.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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The short answer
Where can I get a hepatitis B test in Hyderabad?
You can get a hepatitis B blood test at a government hospital or health centre, at most private diagnostic laboratories, through your family doctor, or as part of antenatal care if you are pregnant. The first test is a simple blood sample called HBsAg, and most people have the result within a day or two.
Which test to ask for
Ask for HBsAg, the hepatitis B surface antigen. A positive result means the virus is in your blood now. Many doctors add anti-HBs, which shows whether you are protected by the vaccine or by an old infection. Some add anti-HBc, which shows whether you have ever met the virus. Together these three answer the question most families are really asking: infected, protected, or neither.
Why it is worth doing
Hepatitis B often causes no symptoms for decades. Many carriers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh learn about it only from a blood donation, a pregnancy test or a check before surgery. Long-term infection is one of the main causes of liver cancer in India. Knowing early means the liver can be watched, the virus can be controlled with tablets when it needs to be, and the rest of the household can be vaccinated.
Hepatitis B is controlled, not cleared, by treatment. A test is the first step towards that control.Your options
Which kind of place should I go to?
Every route below can give you a reliable first result. What differs is cost, waiting time and what happens after the result.
Government facilities
India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme runs testing and treatment through designated government hospitals and health centres. Its website describes testing and treatment without charge at these sites. Services and locations change, so check before you travel.
Private laboratories
Most diagnostic labs in Hyderabad and the district towns run HBsAg and the related tests. Many collect samples from home. Prices vary by lab and by how many tests are bundled, so ask what is included before you pay.
Your family doctor
A general physician can order the right tests and, more importantly, explain a positive result and refer you on. This is often the easiest route if you live outside Hyderabad.
Antenatal clinics
Pregnant women are tested routinely. If you are pregnant and have not been told your result, ask, because the baby's protection at birth depends on it.
Not a substitute
- A blood bank screening result is not a diagnosis
- A rapid card test needs a lab test to confirm it
- An old result does not tell you about today
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistIf the result is positive
What should I do after a positive HBsAg?
Do not panic, and do not stop there
A positive HBsAg is a reason for follow-up, not a diagnosis of liver disease or cancer. Most carriers live long, ordinary lives with regular checks.
See a hepatologist or physician
They will order further blood tests, such as viral load, HBeAg and liver function, and usually an ultrasound or a FibroScan to look at the liver itself. The guide to reading a hepatitis B report explains each one.
Find out whether you need medicine
Not every carrier needs antiviral tablets. That decision belongs to a hepatologist or physician, and it is reviewed over time.
Test and vaccinate the household
Your spouse, children, parents and siblings should be offered a test, and anyone not protected should be vaccinated. See should my family be tested.
Ask whether you need liver cancer surveillance
Some carriers need an ultrasound, sometimes with an AFP blood test, about every six months. Your doctor decides based on age, family history and the state of your liver.
What it costs
How much does a hepatitis B test cost?
- HBsAg screening
- Usually the cheapest test on any lab's list. Prices vary between labs, so ask for the price in writing before the sample is taken.
- Government sites
- Testing under the national programme is described as without charge at designated sites. Rules and sites change, so confirm at the time.
- Full hepatitis B panel
- Adding anti-HBs, anti-HBc and HBeAg costs more. It is worth it after a positive result, less so as a first check.
- Viral load (HBV DNA)
- A more specialised test, quoted separately and priced differently by each lab. It is normally ordered by a doctor, not chosen by you.
- Scans of the liver
- Ultrasound and FibroScan are quoted separately and vary by centre. Ask for an itemised estimate if several tests are planned.
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Did you know
The hepatitis B vaccine is one of the few vaccines that prevents a cancer. If your test shows you are neither infected nor protected, a short course of vaccine protects you for the long term. The page on the hepatitis B vaccine in India explains how it is given.
Where CION fits
Can CION help if I am already a hepatitis B carrier?
CION is a cancer clinic, not a testing laboratory. For a first hepatitis B test, a government site, a private lab or your family doctor is the right place to start. Where CION helps is with the cancer side of the story.
When to come to an oncologist
Come to a CION consultation if a scan has found a spot on the liver, if a raised AFP has worried your doctor, or if a carrier in your family has been diagnosed with liver cancer. CION arranges the scans and blood tests through accredited diagnostic partners, and hepatology care through partner hepatologists. Our oncologists plan surveillance for hepatitis B carriers and review any finding with the tumour board.
Who this page does not apply to
If you already know you are a carrier and are under a hepatologist, you do not need a new screening test. You need your regular follow-up. If you have been vaccinated and a test showed you were protected, you do not need repeated screening unless a doctor advises it.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which lab is cheapest this month or which government site is open today. Prices, programmes and locations change, and the national programme's own website and your local health centre are the right places to check.
It cannot read your result
A hepatitis B report has several markers, and their meaning depends on how they combine. A single word on the page, positive or reactive, does not tell you what stage the infection is at or whether you need medicine. A hepatologist or physician who sees all your results together can.
If you have a result and are unsure what to do next, call the helpline. Someone will tell you who to see.Questions we are asked
Common questions about hepatitis B testing
Do I need to fast before a hepatitis B test?
No. HBsAg and the other hepatitis B markers do not need fasting. If your doctor has added a sugar or cholesterol test to the same sample, those may need fasting, so check the full list. You can usually walk in, give a sample from the arm and leave within minutes.
How soon will I get the result?
Most labs report HBsAg within a day or two, and often the same day. Viral load takes longer because it is a more specialised test. If you have been told a result is positive, ask for a printed copy, because every doctor you see afterwards will want to read it.
Is a rapid card test enough?
A rapid test is useful for screening, especially in camps and outreach programmes. A positive rapid test should always be confirmed with a laboratory test. A negative rapid test is generally reassuring, but if you were recently exposed, ask whether a repeat test is needed later.
My blood bank said my blood was reactive. Am I infected?
Not necessarily. Blood banks screen widely and some reactive results turn out negative on confirmation. Treat it as a reason to get a proper laboratory HBsAg test, then see a physician with the result. Do not assume the worst, and do not ignore it.
Who in the family should be tested?
Everyone who lives with a carrier, plus parents, brothers, sisters and children, because the virus often passes within families or from mother to baby. This is about protecting people, not blaming anyone. Those who are not protected can then be vaccinated.
Can I get tested without telling my employer or family?
Yes. A test is your own medical information. A lab or doctor should give the result only to you. Whether and when you tell others is your choice, though telling the people you live with lets them be tested and vaccinated. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is hepatitis B treatment available in Hyderabad?
Yes. Antiviral tablets that control the virus are available through hepatologists and physicians, and through government sites under the national programme. Treatment controls the virus rather than removing it, and many people need it for years. Not every carrier needs it.
Does a positive test mean I will get liver cancer?
No. It raises the risk, and that risk varies a lot between people. Most carriers never develop liver cancer. Regular follow-up and, where advised, surveillance scans mean that if a cancer does start, it is more likely to be found early, when it is often curable.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (MoHFW) — National Viral Hepatitis Control Program
- World Health Organization — Hepatitis B
- NHS — Hepatitis B
- NIDDK — Hepatitis B - NIDDK
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Reading a hepatitis B reportWhat HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc each meanShould my family be tested for hepatitis B?Who in the household to test nextI am a hepatitis B carrier: what is my cancer risk?What a positive result means for liver cancerThe hepatitis B vaccine in IndiaIf your test shows you are not protected
Talk to us
Have a positive result and not sure who to see?
Tell us what your report says and whether a scan has been done. We will help you find the right next appointment, whether that is a hepatologist or an oncologist. One helpline serves every CION centre.