PM Shehbaz directs comprehensive screening in public hospitals to eliminate hepatitis, HIV
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to ensure comprehensive screening of all patients in public hospitals to eliminate hepatitis and HIV, reiterating the government’s resolve to provide the best healthcare services to citizens.
The directive was issued as the premier chaired a review meeting on matters related to the Ministry of National Health Services, during which he reiterated that the provision of the best possible healthcare to Pakistani citizens remained among the government’s top priorities.
According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the prime minister said the government was prepared to go to every length, overcome all obstacles, and make any sacrifice necessary to save even a single precious life.
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 observed.
اسلام آباد: 5 مئی 2026۔
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے وزارت برائے امورِ قومی صحت کے حوالے سے جائزہ اجلاس کی صدارت کی.
اجلاس سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے وزیرِ اعظم نے کہا کہ شہریوں کی صحت کے لیے بہترین خدمات فراہم کرنا حکومت کی اولین ترجیحات میں شامل ہے. کسی بھی ایک قیمتی جان کے تحفظ کے… pic.twitter.com/yBjfpvcIUG
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) May 5, 2026
PM Shehbaz further directed the health ministry to accelerate implementation of the “Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Control Programme” in collaboration with provinces, focusing on screening, testing and treatment.
To curb the spread of viral diseases, he ordered the nationwide use of auto-disable (AD) syringes. He directed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other relevant bodies to ensure a complete ban on the reuse of syringes.
The prime minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan.
During the meeting, the premier was briefed on ongoing measures to eliminate polio, hepatitis and AIDS. Officials informed him that 98 anti-retroviral therapy centres had been established in major hospitals across the country for the treatment of AIDS, with plans to increase the number to 164 within a year.
Read More: Health minister says 84,000 registered HIV cases in Pakistan; raises concerns over funding, oversight
The meeting was also told that AIDS screening facilities had been introduced at all international airports for illegal immigrants returning to the country.
Officials further briefed that a pilot phase of the Prime Minister’s National Programme for Hepatitis C elimination would soon be launched in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Regarding polio, the meeting was informed that recent environmental samples showed a gradual decline in the presence of the poliovirus, which was described as an encouraging development. It was added that coverage during the latest anti-polio campaign reached 98 per cent.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Aurangzeb, Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, and Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq, along with senior officials of relevant institutions.
The development came after last month’s statement by the health minister that the country has 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 23,000 registered patients remain untraceable.
Kamal said the country had 84,000 registered HIV/AIDS cases, of which 61,000 patients were under treatment, while the remaining patients could not be traced because they are not seeking treatment.
“If these missing people are not taking medicine from here, they are not getting it from anywhere,” he said, warning that untreated patients could contribute to further transmission.Read More
