Coordinator to the Prime Minister (PM) on National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, on Saturday stressed the urgent need for collective action to combat Hepatitis ‘C’, a significant public health challenge facing Pakistan.
Speaking at a seminar of the ‘Health Foundation’, he expressed gratitude to the seminar organizers for the opportunity to discuss one of the most pressing health concerns in Pakistan, emphasizing the country’s critical position in the global Hepatitis ‘C’ landscape.
‘Pakistan has the largest population of Hepatitis ‘C’ patients in the world, with 10-million of the global 60-million cases. This places us at the heart of the global effort to eliminate this disease,’ he stated.
Dr Bharath highlighted the dire consequences if action is not taken. He said if we do not act, Pakistan will face over 11-million HCV cases by 2035, leading to 500,000+ liver cirrhosis cases, 100,000+ cases of liver cancer, and 130,000 HCV-related deaths.
He said the economic impact would be a loss of $285+million annually. Dr Bharath pointed out that as of 2021, only 16% of Hepatitis ‘C’ cases in the country had received treatment, with testing and treatment access being the key challenges.
To address these challenges, he said the federal government, in collaboration with the provincial governments, has launched the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis ‘C’ (HCV) Infection, for which Rs34.15 billion have been allocated over the next three years.
In addition, the provincial governments will contribute Rs33.61 billion, bringing the total funding for the initiative to Rs67.77 billion, Dr Bharath added. He said Pakistan has made significant strides toward Hepatitis elimination.
He said these strides include: establishing a National Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Hepatitis control, developing national and provincial strategic frameworks, ensuring the availability of affordable generic Direct-Acting Antivirals (DAAs), and advocating for nationwide scaling up of vaccination, screening, testing, and treatment efforts.
However, Dr Bharath stressed that further support and technical assistance are needed to scale up efforts. He said we seek support in developing detailed plans for Hepatitis elimination, strengthening monitoring and healthcare systems, training healthcare workers, and expanding national software and logistics.
We also call for international collaboration to help us achieve our targets, he added. The Prime Minister’s Programme aims to reach 50% of the eligible population for screening, testing, and treatment within three years.
Dr Bharath urged international partners to help Pakistan achieve 100% coverage, thus ensuring that the country meets the global HCV elimination targets before 2030.
He emphasized the importance of collective action, adding that Hepatitis elimination is a national priority, but it requires the combined efforts of the government, international partners, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
‘Together, we can overcome this challenge and work towards a healthier, prosperous future for all Pakistanis’, he added.