Pakistan launches hepatitis C elimination drive with WHO support

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the World Health Organisation on Wednesday launched the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Islamabad, setting a target to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said the programme aims to reach 1.6 million people in the area over the next six months, with later phases planned to cover more than 164 million people across the country. It said the initiative was aligned with the World Health Assembly’s goal of ending hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.

Speaking at the launch event, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said Rs67 billion had been allocated to tackle what he described as one of Pakistan’s most serious public health challenges. According to the ministry’s statement, he said a complete treatment course lasting three to six months would be provided free of cost under the programme.

Kamal said Pakistan carried a heavy hepatitis C burden, noting that of nearly 60 million hepatitis patients worldwide, around 10 million were in Pakistan. He added that nearly 80 per cent of patients did not know they were infected and were unknowingly passing on the disease.

Hepatitis C is a life-threatening disease that can eventually lead to liver cancer if left untreated. Prevention is better than a cure. The true meaning of healthcare is to prevent people from becoming sick.

The minister said Pakistan’s health system needed to move away from a sick-care model and towards a system focused on prevention and early intervention. He also said nationwide screening would be carried out with the support of the National Database and Registration Authority, using national database integration to improve outreach and transparency.

According to Kamal, 12 hepatitis C screening counters have initially been set up at federal hospitals in Islamabad to support diagnosis and patient facilitation. He urged the public to take part in the screening campaign, saying the programme’s success would depend heavily on public cooperation.

The minister said the hepatitis C screening test, which usually costs around Rs7,000, would now be offered free of charge, along with the full three- to six-month treatment course. He warned that infected individuals could transmit the disease to family members and others around them, and appealed to citizens to get screened before the illness reached an irreversible stage.

WHO backs programme

At the event, WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Luo Dapeng described the initiative as an important step towards the 2030 global target.

This programme is a major step towards achieving the 2030 global goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat. The programme could also avert 850,000 deaths and 1.1 million new infections by 2050.

Dr Dapeng said WHO would support Pakistan in implementing the initiative by following medical science and adapting international best practices and lessons to the Pakistani context.

WHO will stand with Pakistan and its people to implement this initiative, following medical science and adapting to the Pakistani context the best practices and lessons learned from around the world.

He added that while detecting and treating hepatitis was essential, prevention remained central to ending the disease.

Detecting and treating hepatitis is essential, but prevention is the key to ending the disease, including preventing mother-to-child transmission, safe injections and blood transfusions, and harm reduction.