Gilgit-Baltistan to screen 600,000 people for hepatitis C

Gilgit-Baltistan will screen at least 600,000 people for hepatitis C over the next three months, Chief Minister Amjad Hussain announced on Wednesday, in a campaign the federal health ministry has backed with 600,000 screening kits and 25,000 PCR testing kits.

The announcement was made at a meeting in Islamabad with Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, where the two discussed healthcare challenges in Gilgit-Baltistan and measures to prevent hepatitis C.

Dr Saeed Akhtar gave a presentation at the meeting on hepatitis C diagnosis, screening and prevention. He said Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad had been selected as model populations for the screening, and that the programme would be extended to other areas on the basis of the experience gained.

Dr Akhtar said the Ministry of National Health Services had trained the relevant healthcare staff in Gilgit-Baltistan and provided the screening and PCR testing kits for the campaign.

The chief minister thanked the federal health minister for the support and said his government would run an extensive public screening drive over the next three months to reach at least 600,000 people. He said the campaign would cover around 60,000 government employees as well as students of schools and colleges.

Amjad Hussain said hepatitis C screening was an important measure for protecting public health and preventing disease, and that his government would ensure the campaign was implemented effectively as part of its efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare services.

The meeting was attended by the Federal Health Secretary, the Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan, the provincial Minister for Works and the Secretary to the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral infection that can lead to liver damage and, in untreated cases, cirrhosis or liver cancer. Screening programmes aim to find infections before symptoms appear so that patients can be referred for treatment.

The three-month target works out to roughly 6,600 screenings a day across the region if the campaign runs at an even pace, and it relies on the trained staff and the 600,000 kits now held by the Gilgit-Baltistan health authorities.