Prime Minister Shehbaz is leading extensive screening in government hospitals to eliminate hepatitis, HIV

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to ensure comprehensive screening of all patients in public hospitals to eliminate hepatitis and HIV, reiterating the government’s resolve to provide the best healthcare services to citizens.

The directive was issued as the Prime Minister chaired a review meeting on issues related to the Ministry of National Health Services, where he reiterated that the provision of the best possible healthcare to Pakistani citizens remained among the government’s top priorities.

According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Prime Minister said the government was prepared to go to great lengths, overcome all obstacles and make any sacrifice necessary to save even a single precious life.

He also directed the Ministry of National Health Services to develop an integrated system for timely reporting of hepatitis, AIDS and other diseases in coordination with provincial governments. “Only through timely identification can these diseases be completely eradicated,” he noted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz further directed the Ministry of Health to expedite the implementation of the “Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Control Program” in collaboration with the provinces, focusing on screening, testing and treatment.

To curb the spread of viral diseases, he ordered the nationwide use of auto-disable (AD) syringes. He directed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other relevant bodies to ensure a complete ban on reuse of syringes.

The Prime Minister confirmed the government’s decision to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed about ongoing measures to eliminate polio, hepatitis and AIDS. Officials informed him that 98 antiretroviral therapy centers had been established in major hospitals across the country to treat AIDS, with plans to increase the number to 164 within a year.

Read more: Health minister says 84,000 registered HIV cases in Pakistan; raises concerns over funding, oversight

The meeting was also told that AIDS screening facilities had been introduced at all international airports for illegal immigrants returning to the country.

Officials further briefed that a pilot phase of the Prime Minister’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Program would soon be launched in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

With regard to polio, the meeting was informed that recent environmental tests showed a gradual decline in the presence of poliovirus, which was described as an encouraging development. It was added that coverage during the latest anti-polio campaign reached 98 percent.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Aurangzeb, National Health Services Minister Mustafa Kamal, Health Minister Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, and Prime Minister’s Liaison Officer on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq along with senior officials from relevant institutions.

The development came after last month’s statement by the Minister of Health that the country has 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 23,000 registered patients still cannot be traced.

Kamal said the country had 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 61,000 patients were under treatment, while the remaining patients could not be traced because they do not seek treatment.

“If these missing people don’t take medicine from here, they won’t get it from anywhere,” he said, warning that untreated patients could contribute to further transmission.