Committee Room, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSRC), Islamabad — August 1, 2025
Key Leaders & Speakers
The program opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran by M. Asim Rauf, IT/Data Manager, Hepatitis PDMU. Dr. Ayaz Mustafa, Director General to the Federal Minister of Health, served as Master of Ceremony. Opening remarks were delivered by Syed Waqar ul Hasan, Federal Secretary Health, setting the stage for the day. Dr. Shabana Saleem and Dr. Soofia Yunus presented updates on the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Elimination initiative. Dr. Huma Qureshi launched the new National Hepatitis B Treatment Guidelines 2025. Dr. Safdar Kamal Pasha outlined the investment case for hepatitis prevention. Dr. Hassan Mahmood presented results from pilot projects, while Dr. Ammara Naveed shared the national EMR update. LESI Olufunmilayo and Dr. Dapeng Luo reinforced WHO’s commitment. The event concluded with remarks from Professor Dr. Saeed Akhter, followed by closing comments from Syed Mustufa Kamal, Federal Minister of Health.
Pakistan’s Mission to Eliminate Hepatitis by 2030: A National Commitment on World Hepatitis Day 2025
Islamabad, August 1st, 2025 — “We are not just here to mark a day. We are here to commit to a movement — a mission that, if done right, will change the health system of Pakistan forever.”
With these powerful opening words, Professor Dr. Saeed Akhter, Chairman of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) and Member of the National Task Force on Hepatitis Elimination, set the tone for a landmark national gathering to commemorate World Hepatitis Day 2025.
Hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSRC) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the event brought together federal health leaders, provincial hepatitis program directors, global technical experts, and frontline stakeholders. The gathering served as both a commemoration and a strategic checkpoint to accelerate Pakistan’s ambitious goal of eliminating hepatitis B and C by 2030.
With a theme aligned to global urgency — “Hepatitis Can’t Wait” — discussions centered around practical implementation, innovations like Pakistan’s first National Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system for hepatitis, and the transformative power of community-based screening, digital health tools, and prevention-first strategies.
Global Goals and National Alignment
Opening presentations reminded attendees of the WHO’s 2030 Global Strategy, which calls for:
- 90% reduction in chronic hepatitis infections
- 65% reduction in hepatitis-related mortality, based on 2015 baseline levels
These targets are universally adopted and reinforced by Pakistan’s own Strategic Framework, which emphasizes:
- Patient-centered services
- Prevention through screening and education
- Health system optimization
- Data-driven decision-making
- Strategic use of innovation
“We are at a pivotal point in the national response. Without scaling up access and treatment, we risk increasing liver cancer cases and unnecessary deaths,” said the WHO Global Hepatitis Team Lead.
The Challenge: A High Burden, But a Clear Path
Pakistan ranks among the countries with the highest global burden of viral hepatitis:
- Hepatitis C prevalence: ~10.6% nationally
- Hepatitis B prevalence: ~2.1%
- Over 15 million people living with hepatitis B or C
- More than 110,000 new HCV infections each year
Two primary drivers of transmission in Pakistan are:
- Unsafe medical injections (62%)
- Injection drug use (38%)
These infections can be prevented by:
- Screening of all donated blood
- Eliminating multiple-use syringes
- Education of healthcare workers
- Enforcing penalties for unsafe practices
- Providing clean needles (300 per person per year)
- Offering opioid substitution therapy
- Expanding HCV treatment as prevention
The economic case for hepatitis elimination is clear:
- Every $1 invested now yields $11 in long-term savings
- Prevention efforts could avert 1,000+ new infections annually
- Effective rollout could save up to 44 billion PKR over two decades
- WHO also emphasized that preventing new HCV infections will reduce direct, economic, and societal costs from treatment, hospitalization, loss of life, and disability.
Pilot Projects: From Policy to Practice
Detailed updates were presented on Pakistan’s Hepatitis Elimination Pilots across key regions, aimed at testing scalable models before the national rollout.
Completed or Active Pilots:
- Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) – Completed successfully
- Sindh (Kashmore district) – Ongoing with strong results
- Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) – Will be started
- Balochistan – Will be started
These pilots used existing government infrastructure, involved Lady Health Workers (LHWs) for door-to-door screening, and engaged local NGOs for community mobilization.
“We screened over 31,000 individuals in the pilot areas. Every person diagnosed with hepatitis B or C received confirmatory testing and free treatment,” Dr. Hassan said.
Key innovations included cell phone-based pictorial messaging for awareness, catering to low-literacy populations with high mobile phone usage. In addition, pamphlets, brochures, and other educational materials were developed and distributed. Community healthcare workers and local leaders (including imams, madrassa teachers, and schoolteachers) were engaged to reinforce campaigns. Partnerships with cell phone companies expanded the reach of awareness messaging.
National EMR: A Digital Backbone for Elimination
One of the most applauded achievements presented was Pakistan’s first National Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system for hepatitis care.
The Health Information System Development Unit (HISDU) of Punjab detailed the EMR’s components, including web-based data capture, medicine stock tracking, and a mobile app for areas with limited connectivity.
- Web-based EMR linked to each patient’s CNIC
- Mobile app for offline areas to support field workers
- Medicine and vaccine inventory system (MMIS)
- Public portal (launching soon) for self-registration and treatment tracking
So far, all provinces have been trained, and live data is already coming in from Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan. Punjab, the country’s most populous province, has committed to full integration.
“This is the first time Pakistan will host individual patient-level data at a national scale. The system enables real-time tracking of screening, diagnostics, treatment, and stock management,” said Dr. Amara.
WHO’s Support and the Global Perspective
WHO reaffirmed its partnership and Pakistan’s critical role in the global fight against hepatitis.
“Though Pakistan represents just 3% of the world’s population, it bears nearly 20% of the global hepatitis C burden. That makes this elimination program not just a national priority — but a global necessity,” it was stated.
The remarks also emphasized the importance of a science-based, prevention-first approach, advocating for early testing, vaccination (especially for hepatitis B at birth), blood safety protocols, and harm reduction services like opioid substitution therapy and needle exchange programs.
Professor Saeed Akhter: A Call to Action Beyond Statistics
In a deeply moving closing speech, Professor Dr. Saeed Akhter, Chairman of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI), reminded participants that behind every statistic is a human life.
“Imagine a man who got hepatitis C from a simple injection 20 years ago. Today, he walks into our hospital vomiting blood. Now he has liver cancer. This was avoidable. This was curable,” he said.
He urged the nation to not only calculate the economic return on investment but to acknowledge the emotional toll on families, caregivers, and communities.
“This isn’t just a hepatitis elimination program. It’s a revolution in how we practice medicine in Pakistan — from health budgeting and planning to the dignity of care.”
Pakistan’s National Commitment to Eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030: Progress, Technology & Challenges
On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day 2025, Pakistan reaffirmed its national resolve to eliminate Hepatitis C as a major public health threat by 2030. Through the leadership of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSRC), in collaboration with WHO, PKLI, provincial governments, and key stakeholders, the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Elimination Program has shown promising progress and innovation in public health delivery.
This article summarizes key highlights from a recent high-level meeting led by Professor Dr. Saeed Akhter and senior public health officials, presenting data insights, policy shifts, and live program performance across the country.
Vision and Mission
- Vision: Hepatitis C transmission is halted, and everyone living with Hepatitis C has access to safe, affordable, and effective prevention, care, and treatment services.
- Mission: To eliminate Hepatitis C as a major public health threat by 2030.
Objectives include:
- Increasing awareness about hepatitis elimination
- Expanding testing and diagnosis
- Linking more patients to treatment
- Piloting the EMR system
- Building evidence for province-wide micro-elimination programs
Leadership and Support
Led by Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and executed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and provincial departments, the program has gained strong political backing.
Dr. Saeed Akhter, Chairman of PKLI and member of the National Task Force, highlighted the importance of integrated care, public-private partnership, and the use of technology in enabling a national cascade of care. The program is supported by WHO and developed in partnership with global and local experts.
Sindh has shown particularly strong political support, as reflected by the health department’s engagement, visible leadership, and dedicated staff training.
National Hepatitis Program Public Portal
A dedicated public registration portal has been launched for:
- Self-registration for Hepatitis C screening
- Issuing digital certificates
This portal simplifies access to care and enhances traceability.
Digital Backbone: Web-Based EMR
A national Web-Based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system has been developed by the Health Information and Service Delivery Unit (HISDU), Punjab. It:
- Captures individual patient data with a unique identifier
- Ensures patient tracking across the cascade of care
This system plays a crucial role in transparency and performance evaluation.
Hepatitis C Cascade of Care: Dashboard Insights
The live digital dashboard presented in the meeting showcases real-time progress:
Registered Cases by Province
- Sindh: 35,978
- Gilgit: 13,644
- Punjab: 219
- Balochistan: 6
🌍 Cascade of Care Metrics
- Total Registered: 51,251
- Screened via POCT: 49,017
- POCT Positive: 4,465
- PCR Positive: 1,900
- Treatment Started: 894
- Treatment Completed: 0
- SVR12 / Treatment Failure: Data pending
Gender-Wise Breakdown
- Male (22,420 total): POCT tested 20,739 → POCT +ve 1,698 (7.57%) → PCR +ve 755 (3.37%)
- Female (26,587 total): POCT tested 23,848 → POCT +ve 2,765 (10.4%) → PCR +ve 1,143 (4.3%)
- Transgender (10 total): POCT tested 8 → POCT +ve 2 → PCR +ve 2
Screening Outcomes (As of July 2025)
- Total Screened: 31,476
- Positive for anti-HCV: 3,348 (10.6%)
- Positive for HBsAg: 684 (2.1%)
- Samples sent for PCR: 2,873
Field Challenges
Despite major success, the following challenges were shared:
- Internet connectivity issues hinder reflex testing
- Barcode and offline EMR issues
- Stock entry problems in EMR
- Low LHW (Lady Health Worker) coverage in remote areas
- Extreme weather conditions affecting fieldwork
These issues are being addressed through phased digital training, infrastructure improvements, and increased human resource allocations.
Project Implementers & Partners
The Sindh Health Department provided political support, field staff (LHWs), and procurement resources including anti-HCV and HBsAg screening kits, HCV PCR kits, and HBV/HCV treatment.
DVH/CDC and Integral Global (IG) offered technical assistance, project management, and monitoring.
THF provided on-the-ground support for implementation and EMR data capturing.
Investment Case and Long-Term Impact
The Prime Minister’s HCV Elimination Campaign demonstrates a clear return on investment (ROI). WHO noted that ROI becomes positive when indirect costs are considered and by 2037 even direct healthcare cost savings alone will be positive. Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) are projected to fall sharply compared to the status quo.
According to WHO, fully implementing the plan will avert:
- 850,000 deaths
- 1.1 million new infections
- 620,000 new liver cancer cases
- 500,000 new cirrhosis cases
This reinforces the case for sustained investment in prevention, testing, and treatment.
Conclusion
Pakistan’s Hepatitis Elimination Program is not only ambitious but also deeply grounded in data, technology, and grassroots mobilization. The commitment of leadership, combined with digital innovations like EMR and public portals, has already positioned Pakistan as a global case study for large-scale Hepatitis C control.
As the country continues to scale screening, diagnosis, and treatment — overcoming infrastructural and weather-related barriers — its progress reaffirms the possibility of disease elimination through collective will and smart systems.
A Mission That Transcends Numbers: From Saving Lives to Transforming the System
As the event neared its close, Professor Dr. Saeed Akhter offered a moving reflection that captured both the technical ambition and the moral imperative of Pakistan’s hepatitis elimination campaign.
“When I look at this journey six years from now — from 2024 to 2030 — I don’t just see a disease eliminated. I see a transformed health system, empowered by data, planning, and professionalism. I see Pakistan becoming a global leader in public health, much like Egypt is today,” said Prof. Akhter, referencing the world-renowned Egyptian hepatitis model.
But he also reminded the audience that this mission is not just about statistics and dashboards. It’s about human dignity.
“Everyone talks about cost savings — for every dollar invested, we save eleven. But what about the pain? What about the people who had no fault, who got hepatitis C from a single unsafe injection… and twenty years later, are vomiting blood with liver cancer? Where is the currency to measure that misery?”
“This is not a one-person disease — it is a family disaster. And we — the clinicians, the leaders, the community — carry the burden of those stories. If we have a cure, and we fail to use it, we are part of the injustice.”
In his final message, Dr. Akhter emphasized the need for unity, sustained commitment, and divine guidance:
“With Allah’s help, with the Prime Minister’s commitment, with your work, and with international partners like WHO and CDC, I have no doubt: Pakistan will finish this mission. We will not only eliminate hepatitis — we will build a stronger, fairer healthcare system for generations to come.”
📌 About the Event
This article is based on proceedings from the World Hepatitis Day 2025 National Commemoration Event, held in Islamabad and supported by the Ministry of Health, WHO, Integral Global, PKLI, CDC, and provincial health departments.
For more information on how to support hepatitis elimination efforts in Pakistan, visit:
- WHO Hepatitis Elimination
- Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute
- Pakistan Kidney Institute
- Save Our Lives (SOULS)
Closing Note:
This report is part of Discover Souls’ commitment to highlighting national efforts in health transformation and supporting Pakistan’s journey toward eliminating hepatitis by 2030.
