Pakistan Urges Global Action as Hepatitis C Burden Alarms WHO

Pakistan has called for stronger global action against viral hepatitis after new World Health Organisation findings highlighted the country’s alarming burden of hepatitis C. The appeal was made at a high-level diplomatic gathering at the United Nations in New York, where Pakistan sought to build international momentum around hepatitis elimination.

The event was co-hosted by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN and the Secretariat of the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis on the sidelines of the UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. Diplomats, health officials and global experts used the briefing to discuss how viral hepatitis can be moved higher on the international health agenda.

The meeting focused on the theme of advancing hepatitis elimination and building political support for a dedicated UN High-Level Meeting on Viral Hepatitis by 2028. Participants said the disease continues to claim around 1.3 million lives every year worldwide, despite the availability of screening, prevention tools and treatment options.

Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, told the gathering that Islamabad has launched the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C. He said the initiative carries a $250 million allocation in collaboration with the WHO and aims to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat in Pakistan by 2030.

According to the Pakistani envoy, the national programme offers free screening, diagnosis and treatment for patients across the country. He also said the prime minister is personally leading the National Task Force overseeing the programme, with support from public health specialists, clinicians, researchers and government officials.

The diplomatic push comes after the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2026 identified Pakistan as the largest contributor to the global population living with hepatitis C virus infection. The report estimated that around nine million people in Pakistan were living with hepatitis C in 2024, placing the country among the world’s most affected nations.

Pakistan was also listed among 10 countries that together account for 58 percent of hepatitis C infections globally. The WHO report further noted that the Eastern Mediterranean Region carries a major share of the global hepatitis burden, with Pakistan representing a particularly serious challenge because of the scale of infection and related deaths.

The issue is not only a health emergency but also a social and economic concern for Pakistan. Untreated hepatitis can lead to liver disease, cancer, premature deaths and heavy costs for families already facing pressure from inflation, limited healthcare access and uneven diagnostic facilities.

For Pakistan, a successful hepatitis elimination campaign would require large-scale testing, safe medical practices, reliable treatment supply, public awareness and strong coordination between federal and provincial health systems. The next step will be converting the UN-level advocacy into sustained domestic implementation and stronger international support before the 2030 target.