Govt focus on treatment facilities for hepatitis-free Pakistan by 2030: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the government was prioritising the provision of facilities for screening and treatment of patients, in order to make Pakistan a hepatitis-free country by 2030.

The prime minister, in his message on the World Hepatitis Day annually observed on July 28, said in order to ensure the prevention of the disease, the government had decided to launch an awareness drive on preventive measures, besides providing treatment and vaccines to the people. He said being a killer disease, hepatitis annually killed around a million people across the world.

One out of every 13 Pakistanis suffered from hepatitis and around 86 percent of them remained unaware of the disease, he added. The prime minister said nine million people suffering from hepatitis in Pakistan was no less than a threat that necessitated preventive measures and awareness campaigns to avert the spread from touching an alarming level. He said being a silent killer, the hepatitis gradually killed the patient within 15 to 20 years causing liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Recalling his anti-hepatitis efforts during his stint as Punjab chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif said he had established Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute and Hepatitis Treatment Filter Clinics across the province for early diagnosis of the disease and save lives through liver transplantation of the patients going through last stage of the disease.

The prime minister said after assuming the prime minister’s office, he had revived the PKLI, which had faced neglect of the precious government. The government also increased the quota of free treatment to achieve the dream of free-of-charge liver transplantation facility to the people coming from across the country.

He also urged the people to take precautionary measures to prevent their dear ones from the disease through vaccination and regular screening tests. He also appealed to the media to play its role for mass awareness on prevention considering it a collective responsibility.