Govt Launches Hepatitis Screening Programme for Islamabad Employees

ISLAMABAD: A hepatitis testing drive is scheduled to commence on August 18 for workers employed in Islamabad. This major public health campaign will be focused on testing the government workforce against hepatitis in the national capital region.

Hepatitis Screening Programme Coverage Across All Ministries

This move comes after the Government of Pakistan decided to carry out an extensive hepatitis test for workers across Islamabad, highlighting its commitment towards addressing this public health issue.

Under the program, employees from all ministries/institutions across the country are expected to undergo testing for hepatitis. As reported by reliable sources, the hepatitis C testing campaign will receive its formal inauguration from Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal at the Ministry of Health building.

According to sources, all employees testing positive for Hepatitis-C will receive free-of-cost PCR tests under the hepatitis screening program for employees. Additionally, the government intends to provide free medicines to government employees found to be positive for Hepatitis.

Hepatitis Screening Programme ensures that any employee who is detected with Hepatitis moves seamlessly to treatment instead of going through an unstructured process to access medications.

Rs67 billion is allocated towards the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Program, out of which Rs1 billion will be spent on the program in the present fiscal year. The allocation indicates how seriously the government is planning to implement the hepatitis diagnostic and management programs across the country and not merely conduct testing among government employees in Islamabad.

ALSO READ: 16 More Children Test HIV Positive at Karachi's Walika Hospital

The procurement of 50,000 hepatitis testing kits for the Prime Minister's Hepatitis Program was confirmed by sources who also revealed that hepatitis C sample tests had started being conducted at NIH. Such preparation indicates prior groundwork for larger-scale hepatitis tests before rolling out an employee-based hepatitis testing program in the upcoming months.

This shows how Pakistan is taking concrete steps toward addressing its health challenges. The availability of testing capabilities ahead of any formal initiative shows a clear plan for implementation.