Govt launches historic Rs67bn hepatitis C elimination programme

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally begun a major national campaign against hepatitis C, with Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal describing the initiative as a significant step for the country’s public health system.

Speaking at the soft launch of the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C, the minister said the effort marked the start of a large-scale national response to one of Pakistan’s most serious health challenges. He called the occasion historic and revolutionary for the healthcare sector.

According to details shared at the ceremony, nearly 60 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis, including around 10 million in Pakistan alone. Of those in Pakistan, nearly 80 per cent are unaware they have the disease and continue to spread it unknowingly.

Mustafa Kamal said the programme carries a cost of Rs67 billion and is among the biggest public health interventions undertaken in the country. He warned that hepatitis C is a dangerous illness that can eventually lead to liver cancer if it is not treated in time.

The minister said Pakistan’s health system needed to move away from what he described as a sick-care model and instead focus on prevention and early diagnosis.

He said nationwide screening would be carried out with the support of the National Database and Registration Authority, adding that the national database would be integrated into the process to improve outreach and transparency. As part of the initial phase, 12 hepatitis C screening counters have been set up at federal hospitals in Islamabad to diagnose patients and facilitate their treatment.

Urging the public to take part in the campaign, the minister said the success of the programme would depend heavily on citizen cooperation. He announced that the hepatitis C screening test, which he said usually costs around Rs7,000, would be offered free under the programme. A full treatment course lasting three to six months will also be provided at no cost.

Referring to Egypt’s experience, Mustafa Kamal said the country had succeeded in eliminating hepatitis C through mass screening and added that Pakistan could do the same through collective resolve.

He said a single hepatitis patient affects not only the individual but also family members and the wider community, and appealed to people to get screened before the disease reaches an irreversible stage.

The minister also spoke about the strain on the healthcare system caused by rapid population growth, saying doctors who are expected to see 30 patients often end up attending to more than 350 in a day. He directed hospital administrations and healthcare workers to fully assist people visiting screening centres and to treat all patients with courtesy and respect.