The Prime Minister advocates for unified actions to eradicate Hepatitis C from Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged federal and provincial governments, together with all stakeholders, to collaborate in the eradication of Hepatitis C from Pakistan, pledging to enhance and disseminate the PM’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme nationwide.
During a recognition ceremony for the successful conclusion of the pilot project of the Prime Minister’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Gilgit Baltistan, the Prime Minister underscored the significance of the effort in combating the pervasive effects of the disease nationwide.
He acknowledged the substantial support from the Aga Khan Development Network and the World Health Organization (WHO) for this initiative, stating that the hepatitis unit was initially founded at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) and subsequently expanded to offer entirely free treatment services.
He lamented that the program was terminated when the new government assumed power in 2018. He stated that soon after taking office as Prime Minister, he reinstated the program, which is currently running in Punjab under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s supervision.
He expressed hope in a promising future for Gilgit Baltistan and, by extension, other regions of Pakistan, asserting that with the current government’s efforts, Hepatitis C will soon be eradicated from the country.
This virulent sickness is proliferating. “It is imperative to effectively manage this disease at this juncture,” he stated.
The Prime Minister informed the assembly that the federal government is in the midst of developing the Jinnah Medical Centre in Islamabad, which will serve as Pakistan’s equivalent to Johns Hopkins Hospital in public healthcare.
Earlier, he distributed shields among the contributors to the pilot project of Gilgit Baltistan including Minister for Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, NADRA Chairman, WHO Representative in Pakistan and others.
The Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, emphasized that Pakistan has the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C, deeming it a significant worry.
He stated that the success of the hepatitis program exemplified the model of public-private cooperation and the collaboration between federal and provincial governments.
The administration expressed optimism about eradicating the disease by 2029, as the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis C elimination initiative is expected to save millions of lives and enhance the nation’s economic productivity.
Minister for National Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, lauding the prime minister’s vision of eliminating Hepatitis C from the country, assured him of his full support to successfully eliminate the disease from the country by 2030.