PM calls for concerted efforts to eliminate Hepatitis C from Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for coordinated efforts by federal and provincial governments and all stakeholders to eradicate Hepatitis C from Pakistan, vowing to promote and expand the PM’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme countrywide.

Speaking at a recognition ceremony here, marking the successful completion of the pilot project of the PM’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Gilgit Baltistan, the prime minister emphasized the importance of the initiative in addressing the widespread impact of the disease in the country.

Acknowledging the significant support from the Aga Khan Development Network and the World Health Organization (WHO) in this initiative, he said that the hepatitis unit was initially established at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) and was later expanded to provide 100% free treatment facilities.

The prime minister expressed regret that when the new government took office in 2018, the program was discontinued. However, he said that shortly after assuming the office of Prime Minister, he resumed the program, which was now operational in Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

“We see a bright future of Gilgit Baltistan and subsequently other parts of Pakistan,” he said expressing the confidence that with the efforts of the incumbent government, Hepatitis C will be completely erased from the country very soon.

“This aggressive disease is spreading. This is high time to effectively control this disease,” he said.

The prime minister told the gathering the federal government was in the process of establishing Jinnah Medical Centre in Islamabad which would prove to John Hopkins Hospital of Pakistan in public healthcare.