PM wants comprehensive effort against spread of hepatitis - Pakistan

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PM wants comprehensive effort against spread of hepatitis

ISLAMABAD, Nov 27 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday

expressed concern aver the high prevalence of hepatitis in the country,

particularly in rural areas, and directed the Ministry of Health to prepare a

comprehensive program to address the problem on war‑footing. The Prime

Minister was presiding over a meeting at the PM House, especially called to

chalk out strategy for the prevention and control of hepatitis in the country.

The Prime Minister said he had taken ownership of the program in order to ensure

its timely and robust implementation.

He underscored the need for overcoming the main sources of hepatitis by ensuring

safe blood transfusion, spreading a national network of disease surveillance and

proper sterilization of apparatus including syringes and surgical blades.

The Prime Minister directed the health ministry that activities of hepatitis‑B

vaccination should be extended and expanded to all parts of the country to cover

the population at risk.

He also directed for the proper vaccination of expectant mothers to ensure that

no child is born with the disease.

The Prime Minister said all out efforts should be made to make the program a

success through proper monitoring at the federal, provincial and district levels

besides involvement of elected representatives, government officials, health

professionals as well as the civil society.

The Prime Minister was informed that the health ministry under the leadership of

Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Minister for Health has prepared a program which will

ensure efficient realization of the PM emergency initiative on hepatitis

prevention and control.

The DG Health in his presentation apprised the meeting of salient features of

the program.

He informed the Prime Minister that under this program, special emphasis has

been placed on prevention and behaviour change. It is recognized that spread of

hepatitis in Pakistan is largely due to unsafe injection by both registered and

unregistered medical practitioners particularly in the rural areas.

Prevention can be ensured by changing the health seeking behaviours of public

and practices of health personnel.

The meeting was informed that under the new program, large number of social

workers will be deployed in communities to affect behaviour change and Hepatitis

Infection Control Officers will be placed in all major hospitals to interrupt

transmission by the health workers.

The Prime Minister was also briefed that the provincial governments would be

assigned the responsibility of treatment while the federal government would

ensure easy and cost‑efficient availability of the vaccines and drugs for

hepatitis.

A separate initiative for safe blood transfusion will be operationalized across

the country next year and would also contribute to reduce the prevalence of

hepatitis in the country.