Pakistan reaffirms commitment to end hepatitis by 2030

“Pakistan remains steadfast in its dedication to addressing the challenge of hepatitis and achieving the World Health Organization’s global elimination targets by 2030,” said Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Ambassador Sardar Masood Khan.

“Our priorities include updating the National Strategic Framework, improving surveillance, expanding hepatitis B birth dose vaccination, increasing HCV testing and treatment, and engaging community-based organizations,” he said.

“These steps will bring us closer to eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030,”

Ambassador Masood Khan made these remarks while representing Pakistan at the second annual meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis at the sideline of UNGA78.

He thanked the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination for convening the session, adding that the objectives of the Group of Friends aligned perfectly with the overarching theme of UNGA 78, focusing on rebuilding trust and rekindling global solidarity to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

The agenda, he said, aimed at peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.
The meeting was attended by Health Minister for Egypt Dr. Khaled AbdelGhaffar, Health Advisor to the President of Ghana Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Minister of Health Somalia Dr. Ali Haji Adam, Minister of Health of the Portuguese Republic Manuel Pizarro, Minister of Health of Uganda Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, global health experts, ministers, WHO HQ, WHO WPRO, PAHO, UNICEF, US CDC, US Department of State, several ambassadors, and representatives of the member states.

Dr. Harvey Alter, who won the Nobel prize in medicine for discovering Hepatitis C Virus, was also present.

Appreciating the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination for the launch of the National Hepatitis Elimination Profile (N-HEP) Initiative in 2022, the Ambassador noted that the Government of Pakistan had set an ambitious target under the initiative, aiming to screen millions of individuals and treat millions affected by hepatitis by 2030.

Masood Khan said that Pakistan was committed to building strong partnerships, both domestically and internationally, to ensure the success of its hepatitis elimination efforts.

“Together, as a global community, we can and must eliminate hepatitis, securing a healthier future for all,” he concluded.