PM Shehbaz orders enforcement of single-use syringes to curb infectious diseases

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered the nationwide use of auto-disable (AD) syringes to prevent the spread of viral and infectious diseases as part of a broader effort to curb hepatitis, AIDS and polio.

Chairing a review meeting on health sector reforms, Sharif said providing quality healthcare to citizens remained one of the government’s top priorities.

“We are ready to overcome every barrier and make every sacrifice to protect even a single precious life,” he said, according to an official statement.

The prime minister directed authorities concerned to ensure mandatory screening of patients in all public hospitals for infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS.

He called for the establishment of an integrated reporting system in coordination with provincial governments.

He also instructed the health ministry to accelerate the rollout of the “Prime Minister Hepatitis Control Programme” in partnership with provinces, aimed at strengthening screening, testing and treatment services.

Sharif stressed that the use of AD syringes must be strictly enforced nationwide to prevent reuse.

He directed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other health institutions to eliminate unsafe medical practices.

Officials briefed the meeting that 98 antiretroviral therapy centres had been established in major hospitals to treat AIDS patients, with plans to expand the network to 164 centres within a year.

They also said screening facilities for HIV had been introduced at international airports for returning undocumented migrants.

The briefing added that a pilot programme for hepatitis C control would soon be launched in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Health officials said environmental testing showed a gradual decline in the presence of poliovirus, while the latest vaccination campaign achieved 98 per cent coverage.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and other officials attended the meeting.