ISLAMABAD, Jul 29 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal stated that the government is committed to eradicating hepatitis C from the country.
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the launching ceremony of the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C in Pakistan on World Hepatitis Day themed, “It’s time for action.”
Ashan Iqbal formally inaugurated the programme on behalf of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in the PM House on Monday.
Ahsan Iqbal said that the PM’s programme would help in eliminating hepatitis C in the country. A special task force will be formed to address challenges in health, education, and other areas in collaboration with provinces.
He said the initial results of the first digital census conducted in Pakistan indicated that the country’s population growth rate has increased from 2.4 percent to 2.55 percent, positioning Pakistan among the 30 fastest-growing nations, with a projected population of 500 million by 2050.
He stated that managing food, water, education, and employment for such a large population is challenging and emphasized the need to impose a national emergency to control population growth.
He said that in April 2022, after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government took office, they summoned 1,000 experts from various fields to propose solutions to address the significant challenge of saving the country from default. Ahsan emphasized that stable leadership and consistent policies are crucial for success, citing expert opinions.
A total of 26 million children are out of school and realizing the dream of an educated nation requires enrolling them.
Member PM’s Task Force on Hepatitis Elimination Dr. Saeed Akhtar said almost 10 million Pakistanis are active carriers of hepatitis.
He stated that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a PC1 of 68.25 billion for the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C in Pakistan.
The federal share will be 34.78 billion, while the provinces will contribute 33.42 billion for the programme in the next three years. The programme would be executed with assistance from 40 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as private partnership is key for the success of any programme.
He said that the programme aims to screen the entire population and attain hepatitis-free status by December 2029. A PM’s portal has been set up for individuals to self-register for hepatitis virus screening, he added.
He asked people to avoid unnecessary injections and drips, tattoos, and get dental and surgical procedures only from authentic medical facilities with proper sterilisation of instruments, ask barbers to use new blades and in case of blood transfusion make sure it is screened properly.
Prime Minister’s Coordinator Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath stated that there are 60 million people worldwide suffering from hepatitis, with 10 million of them in Pakistan.
Dr. Mukhtar said the PM’s Hepatitis elimination program is being launched in collaboration with the federal government and all four provinces. Everyone over the age of 12 will be screened, and free treatment will be provided to those diagnosed
with hepatitis.
In a video message, World Health Organisations (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the launch of the hepatitis elimination program and urged other countries to emulate Pakistan’s initiative.
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