ISLAMABAD   -  Special Assistant to PM (SAPM) on National Health Services (NHS) Dr. Faisal Sultan on Friday said the government is taking an initiative to launch a Prime Minister’s programme for the elimination of hepatitis from the country till 2030. 

The ministry in a statement referring to the SAPM said that the Prime Minister’s (PM) programme will screen all the eligible population of the country for Hepatitis C and will provide free testing and treatment to anti-HCV positive patients. The goal of the programme is to eliminate, by 2030.

The provinces have committed to design, organize and implement preventive programmes (injection safety, infection control, safe blood transfusion and other programmes) in their provinces to focus on preventive interventions for the elimination of HCV infection.

SAPM Dr. Faisal Sultan said that Pakistan has a national prevalence of hepatitis B around 1.6% affecting almost 3.5 million people and of hepatitis C around 7% affecting almost 15 million people nationwide. 

He said this makes Pakistan among the top countries with highest disease burden of hepatitis B and C in the world. The most common risk factors for the transmission of disease are unsafe blood transfusions, un-safe injections, poor infection control services and community acquired risk factors including unsafe practices by the barbers, tattooing and ear/nose piercing. These risk factors must be intervened and contained to make a dent on the hepatitis disease burden in the country. 

He said that to curb this huge disease burden; four principles should be followed and implemented i.e., educate, prevent, test and treat.

He said responding to the need and availability of new oral HCV medicines, the ministry through extensive efforts has made these available to the population at a very low price. Presently these medicines are cheapest in Pakistan.  These drugs have a cure rate of over 90 percent.