New York, Sep 25 (APP): The United Nations Group of Friends on Hepatitis Elimination has called for intensified efforts to eliminate the highly contagious liver infection by 2030, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) goals. United Nations agencies.
The group, established in September 2022 at the initiative of Egypt, met on Sunday at the Yale Club in New York, as deliberations at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly continued not far away. The group aims to build political will to promote hepatitis prevention, care and treatment and provide a platform for the exchange of information, best practice, innovative models and lessons learned.
Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, represented Pakistan at the meeting, which was also attended by the health minister, WHO officials, several United Nations ambassadors and representatives of member states.
He told the meeting that Pakistan remains steadfast in tackling the challenge of hepatitis and achieving the WHO’s goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030.
“Our priorities include updating the national strategic framework, improving surveillance, scaling up hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, increasing hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment, and engaging community organizations,” he said.
“These steps will bring us closer to eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.”
Ambassador Masood Khan said in his speech that the goals of the Group of Friends fit perfectly with the overall theme of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which focused on rebuilding trust and rekindling global solidarity to accelerate the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) progress.
It is estimated that approximately 15 million people in Pakistan are affected by hepatitis B and C, with 150,000 new cases reported every year. These multifaceted challenges stem from unsafe blood transfusions, unhygienic dental treatments and reused syringes.
Talking about the launch of the National Hepatitis Elimination Program (N-HEP) by the Global Alliance to Eliminate Hepatitis in 2022, the Ambassador said that Pakistan plans to screen millions of people and treat millions of hepatitis patients by 2030.
Masood Khan said that Pakistan deeply appreciates the key role played by international partners, especially the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), in the fight against hepatitis.
Pakistan has also partnered with the corporate sector through the Corporate Consortium to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis in Pakistan (CCHEP), which consists of 12 leading companies. He said these alliances strengthen our determination to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
He said Pakistan was committed to building strong partnerships domestically and internationally to ensure the success of hepatitis elimination efforts.