Pakistan has declared hepatitis C a national emergency and launched a nationwide campaign to screen more than 164 million people, as it steps up efforts to eliminate one of the world's largest hepatitis C burdens by 2030.
Announced on World Hepatitis Day, the Prime Minister's National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme will provide free screening, diagnostic testing and treatment. The campaign will begin in Islamabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan before expanding across the country in coordination with provincial governments.
Health authorities say more than 10 million people in Pakistan are living with hepatitis C, while around 110,000 new infections are reported each year. The government says more than 95 per cent of infections can now be cured if they are diagnosed and treated early.
Everyone diagnosed through the programme will receive a free three-month course of direct-acting antiviral treatment worth around $120, with additional treatment provided at no cost if required. The nationwide campaign is modelled on Egypt's mass screening programme, which significantly reduced hepatitis C infections through early detection and treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its support for Pakistan's efforts to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, describing the country as having the world's largest hepatitis C burden.
According to WHO, an estimated 12.9 million people in Pakistan are living with viral hepatitis, including around nine million with hepatitis C and 3.8 million with hepatitis B. Pakistan accounts for nine million of the world's estimated 47 million hepatitis C cases. More than 48,000 people die from hepatitis-related diseases in the country each year - the equivalent of one death every 11 minutes.
WHO estimates that only three in 10 people infected with hepatitis C are aware they have the disease, underscoring the need for large-scale screening.
WHO says unsafe healthcare practices, including the reuse of syringes, unsafe blood transfusions and weak infection prevention measures, remain the main drivers of transmission. The agency has pledged continued support to expand testing, strengthen vaccination, improve access to treatment and integrate hepatitis services into universal health coverage.
As part of broader public health reforms, Pakistan plans to introduce legislation requiring patients to undergo screening for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other infectious diseases before surgery and other invasive medical procedures. The requirement will be introduced gradually across public and private hospitals to strengthen early diagnosis and improve patient safety.
The nationwide campaign represents Pakistan's most ambitious effort yet to tackle a disease that remains both preventable and curable. Its success will be closely watched as the country works with WHO to meet the global target of eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
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