ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Monday directed the authorities concerned to take necessary measures like mass screening, ensuring availability of professionals, forming a steering committee and launching extensive awareness campaign to eliminate hepatitis and diabetes from the country.
He passed these directives while chairing a meeting to review the progress of the Prime Minister’s initiatives for the prevention and control of Diabetes Mellitus and the elimination of Hepatitis C.
“The government has set a three-year target for elimination of hepatitis and diabetes,” a news release said.
The meeting assessed the current status to address the confronted challenges and expedite efforts toward achieving project goals.
The minister emphasized the necessity of mass screening for Hepatitis C, citing international examples, including Egypt, which successfully brought down the incidence of hepatitis c to zero.
The project, valued at Rs 67 billion, will be implemented on a cost-sharing basis between the federal government and provinces, with priority given to districts with the highest burden of the disease.
To ensure the project’s success, Ahsan Iqbal underscored the need for highly professional and competent staff, including IT professionals, procurement of specialists with relevant experience and communication experts to enhance public awareness.
He directed the formation of a steering committee led by the Federal Health Minister/ Secretary Health and comprising of health secretaries from all four provinces and experts of the field.
This committee will meet quarterly to oversee progress and address any operational issues.
Furthermore, the minister emphasized the importance of conducting a training program for screening teams, enabling them to work in parallel for rapid screening completion. The use of disposable kits for screening was mandated for safety and accuracy.
He also stressed collaboration with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), which possessed valuable data collection experience and infrastructure, including tablets used during the national census.
He called for the resolution of all provincial-level practical issues to facilitate smooth project execution.
In terms of Diabetes prevention, the minister directed the launch of media campaigns to raise public awareness, focusing on behavior change and targeting the working class.
He emphasized that campaigns should be conducted in regional languages to ensure the message reaches the grassroots level, fostering widespread awareness and promoting healthy lifestyle changes.
The scope of PC-I for the Prime Minister’s Program for the Elimination of Hepatitis C includes the procurement of necessary commodities, operational costs, and the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU).
The federal government will provide full support for Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) and share 30% of the costs for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing with provinces and contributing equally to medicine costs.
Regarding the Prime Minister’s Program for the Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus, the scope involves prevention, diagnosis and treatment through awareness campaigns, diagnostic facilities at primary healthcare centers, and referral systems for treatment at higher-level facilities.
The PC-I was initially approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on June 26, 2023, with directives for expanding its scope based on provincial consultations and ensuring a performance-based mechanism. The provinces are expected to contribute 50% of the project’s Rs6.8 billion cost.
