Islamabad: Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, presided over a meeting on Monday to discuss the status of the Prime Minister’s programs to eradicate Hepatitis C and prevent and control diabetes mellitus.
The meeting’s objectives were to evaluate the situation, discuss obstacles, and accelerate work to meet project objectives.
The Planning Minister highlighted the need for widespread hepatitis C screening, pointing to countries like Egypt that have effectively reduced the frequency of the virus to zero.
Districts with the highest illness burden will be given priority in the Rs. 67 billion initiative, which will be carried out on a cost-sharing basis between the federal government and the provinces.
The Minister emphasized the need for highly qualified and experienced personnel, such as IT specialists, procurement specialists with relevant experience, and communication experts to raise public awareness, to succeed with the project.
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The Federal Health Minister/Secretary of Health, along with health secretaries from each of the four provinces and subject-matter specialists, formed a steering committee under his direction. This committee will meet every three months to discuss operational concerns and monitor progress.
The Planning Minister also emphasized cooperation with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), which has crucial infrastructure and data collection experience, including tablets used for the national census.
He demanded that all practical concerns at the provincial level be resolved to enable the project’s seamless execution.
To prevent diabetes, the Planning Minister oversaw the start of public awareness-raising media programs that targeted the working class and emphasized behavior change.
The campaigns should be run in regional languages to guarantee that the message reaches the grassroots level, creating broad awareness and encouraging changes to healthy lifestyles.
The Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C’s PC-I scope covers operations expenses, the creation of a Project Management Unit (PMU), and the acquisition of essential supplies.
In addition to giving provinces an equal part of the cost of medications, the federal government will fully support Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) and share 30% of the cost of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.
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The Prime Minister’s Programme for the Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus encompasses prevention, diagnosis, and treatment through awareness campaigns, primary healthcare centers’ diagnostic facilities, and referral networks for treatment at higher-level facilities.
On June 26, 2023, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) first adopted the PC-I, with instructions to ensure a performance-based framework and broaden its scope depending on provincial consultations. The provinces are expected to contribute 50% of the project’s Rs. 6.8 billion cost.
Senior officials from pertinent stakeholders, including the Secretary of Health, Chief of Health, and Dr. Saeed Akhtar, MD, attended the meeting. They gave updates and discussed the measures to guarantee the timely implementation of both projects.
