Shafaqna Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to ensure comprehensive screening of all patients in public hospitals in a bid to eliminate hepatitis and HIV, reaffirming the government’s commitment to improving healthcare services.
The directive came as he chaired a review meeting on issues related to the Ministry of National Health Services, where he reiterated that providing quality healthcare to citizens remains a top government priority.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier said the government is prepared to go to great lengths, overcome all challenges, and make every possible effort to save even a single life.
He also instructed the Ministry of National Health Services to develop, in coordination with provincial governments, an integrated system for timely reporting of hepatitis, AIDS and other diseases. “Only through timely identification can these diseases be fully eradicated,” he observed.
PM Shehbaz further directed the health ministry to accelerate implementation of the “Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Control Programme” in collaboration with provinces, focusing on screening, testing and treatment.
To curb the spread of viral diseases, he ordered the nationwide use of auto-disable (AD) syringes. He directed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other relevant bodies to ensure a complete ban on the reuse of syringes.
The prime minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan.
During the meeting, the premier was briefed on ongoing measures to eliminate polio, hepatitis and AIDS. Officials informed him that 98 anti-retroviral therapy centres had been established in major hospitals across the country for the treatment of AIDS, with plans to increase the number to 164 within a year.
The meeting was also told that AIDS screening facilities had been introduced at all international airports for illegal immigrants returning to the country.
Officials further briefed that a pilot phase of the Prime Minister’s National Programme for Hepatitis C elimination would soon be launched in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Regarding polio, the meeting was informed that recent environmental samples showed a gradual decline in the presence of the poliovirus, which was described as an encouraging development. It was added that coverage during the latest anti-polio campaign reached 98 per cent.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Aurangzeb, Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, and Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq, along with senior officials of relevant institutions.
The development came after last month’s statement by the health minister that the country has 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 23,000 registered patients remain untraceable.
Kamal said the country had 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 61,000 patients were under treatment, while the remaining patients could not be traced because they are not seeking treatment.
“If these missing people are not taking medicine from here, they are not getting it from anywhere,” he said, warning that untreated patients could contribute to further transmission.
Source: Express Tribune
