ISLAMABAD: In an effort to eradicate Hepatitis C from the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for close coordination between federal, provincial governments, and other stakeholders.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the successful completion of the pilot project of the Prime Minister’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Gilgit-Baltistan, he stressed the need to further expand the programme to completely eliminate the disease from the country.
He said that the hepatitis unit was initially established at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) in Lahore and has since been expanded to provide fully free treatment services.
He also acknowledged the crucial support extended by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) – a network of private, non-denominational development agencies founded by His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the endeavour.
In a subtle dig at ex-prime minister Imran Khan, Sharif said that it was unfortunate that the previous government halted the crucial programme after coming into power in 2018.
He noted, however, that soon after taking office, he reinstated the programme, which is now actively working in Punjab.
“We are optimistic about the future of Gilgit-Baltistan and other areas of the country, and ultimately it will lead to the complete eradication of Hepatitis C from the country in the near future,” he added.
A visibly emotional Sharif stated that the federal government was working on establishing Jinnah Medical Centre in Islamabad, which he believed would become the John Hopkins Hospital of Pakistan in terms of providing quality healthcare to the masses.
At the onset, the prime minister distributed shields among the contributors to the pilot project, including Minister for Health Services Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, the chairman National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Muhammad MunirAfsar, who is a serving lieutenant general of the Pakistan Army, the representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), AKDN, and others.
Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning and Development, raised alarm about the country’s troubling position as the second-highest in the world for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections.
He highlighted the hepatitis programme as a successful model of effective collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as coordination between federal and provincial governments.
The newly-appointed federal health minister Mustafa Kamal admitted that treating 10 million cases could be challenging, but he assured the prime minister that he would make every effort to successfully eradicate the disease by 2030.
Dr Lou Dapeng, the WHO representative in Pakistan, said that the organisation would remain steadfast in its support for Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate the disease.
Dr Saeed Akhtar, a member of the task force for the prime minister’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme, said that a total of Rs68 billion has been allocated for the programme, which will be completed in two phases.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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