Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the relevant authorities to ensure comprehensive screening of all patients in public hospitals to eradicate hepatitis and HIV, reiterating the government’s resolve to provide the best healthcare services to citizens.
Chairing a meeting to review matters related to the Ministry of National Health Services, he stressed the government was prepared to go to every length, overcome all obstacles, and make any sacrifice necessary to save even a single precious life.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, 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 said.
In this regard, he sought expedited implementation of the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Control Program in collaboration with provinces, focusing on screening, testing and treatment. Officials said a pilot phase of the program would commence from Islamabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
To curb the spread of viral diseases, he directed the nationwide use of auto-disable syringes and instructed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other relevant bodies to ensure a complete ban on the reuse of syringes.
The meeting’s participants briefed the prime minister on ongoing measures to eliminate polio, hepatitis and AIDS. Officials informed him that 98 anti-retroviral therapy centers were operating in major hospitals nationwide for the treatment of AIDS, with plans to increase the number to 164 within a year. They said AIDS screening facilities had also been introduced at all international airports for illegal immigrants returning to the country.
HIV Spread
Separately on Tuesday, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services was informed that Pakistan had 84,000 registered cases of HIV, but the actual numbers were believed to be higher, with estimates of up 369,000.
Ministry of Health officials said 61,000 of the 84,000 registered patients were receiving treatment, while the rest had gone “missing” and could no longer be traced. The ministry said a recent surge in reported cases was the result of expanded screening.
According to the ministry, around 38,000 individuals were screened at 49 centers in 2020, while in 2025 this number had increased to 97, with over 374,000 tests conducted and more than 14,000 positive cases detected.