LATEST estimates reveal that more than 10 million people in Pakistan are estimated to be living with Hepatitis-C, making its elimination a national cause of utmost importance. In view of the gravity of the situation, Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal is spearheading a campaign to address the challenge squarely with close coordination of the provincial governments. To begin with, a pilot project has been initiated in the Islamabad Capital Territory under which the Government is making comprehensive arrangements to provide free Hepatitis-C screening and free treatment to all diagnosed patients.
It is, indeed, a concrete move to tackle a disease that has spread rapidly due to polluted water and unsafe medical practices. The Minister has done well by focusing his attention on a major health concern and also because treatment of Hepatitis-C is still beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. The successive governments as well as provincial governments launched initiatives to contain the disease and provide treatment facilities to the needy patients but they could not deliver desired results due to their limited nature and paucity of funding. The Federal Government has initiated a campaign in Islamabad with the active collaboration of the World Health Organization (WHO) under which twelve dedicated screening centres have been set up at major public sector hospitals in the capital. The campaign covers the entire process free of charge, including the screening test (which typically costs Rs7,000) and the full 3 to 6-month treatment course. On successful implementation in the Federal Capital, the Prime Minister’s National Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis-C, would be expanded to the entire country with focus on districts with high burden of the disease. The Minister has declared it a mission to achieve the goal of Hepatitis-C free Pakistan by the deadline of 2030. The goal is achievable as Hepatitis-C is curable and therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment can save millions of precious lives, which are threatened either because of poverty or lack of proper awareness. The nation-wide programme will, hopefully, also protect patients against unprofessional behaviour of greedy segments in the health sector.
