All Pakistanis to undergo Hepatitis C screening, says health minister

ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal has announced a nationwide Hepatitis C screening campaign, saying every Pakistani will be required to undergo testing, while government employees who fail to get screened could have their salaries withheld. Speaking at a press conference, Kamal said he had also undergone a Hepatitis C test, which returned negative. He announced that screening would be mandatory for all employees of the Ministry of Health and warned that salaries of those who did not complete the test would be withheld. He said 17 screening points had been established in Islamabad. Private hospitals conducting screening would also be provided with testing kits and necessary equipment. The minister said the screening campaign would be expanded across Pakistan and that letters were being sent to all ministries to make testing mandatory for ministers and employees. Kamal said around 10 million people in Pakistan were suffering from Hepatitis C, describing it as a serious disease that often goes undetected until it causes severe liver damage and can eventually lead to liver cancer. Under the Prime Minister's programme, medicines worth Rs68,000 would be provided free of charge to eligible patients, he said. Screening would also be conducted in Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad, while people deported to Pakistan would be required to undergo screening as well. The minister said all flights would also be subjected to the screening process for three months. He added that every Pakistani would eventually be required to undergo screening. According to Kamal, the Bureau of Statistics has provided the necessary devices, while census software has been integrated with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records. Screening would be linked to each citizen's Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), while testing would also be mandatory before travelling abroad. Kamal said Hepatitis C was primarily transmitted through blood and estimated that around 11 million people in Pakistan were currently Hepatitis C-positive. He urged citizens to take advantage of the free screening facility and said people aged 12 and above would be required to undergo testing. The minister also said the federal government had not yet received the required data from Punjab, although communication with the provincial authorities was ongoing. He added that he would personally meet the Punjab chief minister to discuss the matter and secure the necessary data.