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ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP):President Asif Ali Zardari called upon all stakeholders, including government institutions, healthcare professionals, private sector partners, media, and civil society to join hands in a unified response to combat the challenge of hepatitis, besides underscoring the need of raising public awareness.
In a message on ‘World Hepatitis Day’ being observed on July 28, the president said the Day was observed to raise awareness about the dangers of hepatitis and to promote collective action to prevent and control this growing public health threat.
He said addressing hepatitis required an integrated and coordinated national response. “We must implement comprehensive strategies that combine mass awareness campaigns, effective vaccination drives, timely screening and access to treatment. It is imperative to extend these services to all segments of society, especially in underserved and rural areas.
At the same time, we must invest in training healthcare workers, enforce strict infection control protocols and strengthen the regulation and oversight of medical and blood transfusion practices,” President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release quoted the president as saying.
The president said that raising public awareness must remain central to their efforts, adding the more people understood the risks, the better equipped they would be to protect themselves and their families.
“Through raising awareness campaigns, we can promote responsible healthcare practices and educate the people about hepatitis to help minimize the risk factors that contribute to its spread,” he added.
In Pakistan, he said, viral hepatitis continued to pose a public health challenge with millions silently suffered due to late diagnosis, lack of awareness and inadequate healthcare services. The rising incidence of hepatitis was putting burden on the healthcare system as well as economy.
“Hepatitis is often called as a “silent killer,” hepatitis progresses unnoticed until it causes irreversible liver damage. If left untreated, it can lead to life-threatening complications such as cirrhosis and liver failure. Its quiet spread has made it a silent epidemic. The disease is preventable, provided its root causes are effectively addressed,” the president observed.
He emphasized that the day served as a reminder that hepatitis is both preventable and treatable. With collective efforts and coordinated action, they would surmount this challenge and move toward a healthier and hepatitis-free future.