ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and World Health Organization (WHO), on Friday, vowing to take all possible steps to effectively deal with hepatitis C have committed to avert 850,000 deaths and one million new infections 2050 under the umbrella of the Prime Minister’s National Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C.
During a review meeting held here under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for National Health Services and Regulation Mustafa Kamal also attended by experts from the Health Ministry and the WHO.
According to an estimate, the meeting was informed that, in addition to saving lives, the country will save an estimated Rs3.3 billion over five years by taking hepatitis C prevention measures.
Speaking on the occasion, Mustafa Kamal said that this was not just an occasion but a commitment and a mission. He said, “When it comes to the healthcare system of Pakistan, we have to do everything that we should have done yesterday, but it is never too late. We have to start as soon as possible”.
Millions of people are already affected, and many more are getting affected every single day, the government along with other partners must act now to save the people, he maintained.
“The fight against hepatitis is not a job, but a passion, a commitment and a mission. We have to screen our population. The success story is there. The prime minister himself has spoken to the president of Egypt. I call upon all stakeholders to join hands in this mission to protect the health and future of the nation,” said the federal minister.
As part of World Hepatitis Day commemorations, WHO and the Ministry of Health convened national and international experts for a discussion, highlighting that, in addition to saving lives, every dollar invested in hepatitis prevention yields an economic return of $11.
According to data presented during the event, the implementation of the Prime Minister Programme could save 150,000 lives and avoid 210,000 infections by 2030, preventing 90,000 liver cancer cases and 71,000 cirrhosis cases. This prevention will also save over the next five years Rs1.3 billion or $4.6 million in treatment and over Rs2 billion or $7 million in hospitalisation costs, total savings of Rs3.3 billion.
“As we speak, every 30 seconds someone dies from hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. This means that at least eight people will have died due to hepatitis before I finish this speech. I am convinced that, together, under the Government of Pakistan’s leadership, we can break hepatitis down,” said WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr DapengLuo. “Detecting and treating hepatitis is essential, but prevention is the key to end the disease. We will continue to partner with Pakistan to implement science-based approaches and adapt to the Pakistani context best practices and lessons learned from around the world”.
With 10 million of the 50 million estimated cases worldwide, Pakistan has the heaviest burden of hepatitis C globally. It is estimated that, every year, 110,000 people are infected in the country – 62 per cent due to unsafe medical injections (including blood transfusions) and 38 per cent due to injection drug use.
Under the theme “Let’s break it down”, the WHO is urging policymakers and health authorities worldwide to simplify, scale up and integrate hepatitis services into national health systems – including vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction, and especially testing and treatment. The goal: ending hepatitis as a public health problem by 2030.
The WHO reiterates its full support for Pakistan’s efforts to fight the disease, including the Prime Minister’s National Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C Infection. The programme aims to test 50 per cent of the eligible population (82.5 million people aged 12 years and above) and treat five million people by 2027.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025