Hepatitis Elimination Gets Major Push as Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital Becomes Government Screening Site
Federal Government Strengthens Hepatitis Elimination Effort via Public-Private Partnership
In a major step towards bringing hepatitis detection closer to communities, Dr. Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital (ANTH) has been inaugurated as a Hepatitis Screening Site of the Government of Pakistan, expanding access to early detection and timely care.
The site was inaugurated by Dr. Zia Ullah Khan Dawar, Project Director of the Prime Minister’s National Program for the Elimination of Hepatitis in Pakistan, following ANTH’s designation as the focal point for the PM’s hepatitis elimination program on World Hepatitis Day 2026 by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination under the leadership of Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal.
Dr. Dawar said the Government was committed to taking hepatitis screening to the doorstep of the people, stressing that wider screening was fundamental to elimination because early detection enables timely treatment and helps prevent serious complications. He said ANTH’s inclusion in the national screening network would strengthen the program by leveraging its clinical capacity, healthcare infrastructure and extensive patient base, demonstrating the potential of public-private collaboration in advancing national health priorities.
The urgency is immense. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 9 million people in Pakistan were living with hepatitis C in 2024, the highest national burden reported globally. WHO has also reported that only around 25–30 per cent of people affected by hepatitis B and C know their status, leaving millions without timely diagnosis and treatment.
Yasir Khan Niazi, Group CEO of GAK HealthCare International and ANTH, said the scale of the challenge made screening a national imperative rather than simply a healthcare intervention. “When millions are living with hepatitis and most do not know their status, screening becomes the bridge between national policy and an individual life. Our responsibility is to find people earlier, connect them to timely care and prevent avoidable suffering.”
He said praised the Government for moving decisively towards prevention, population-wide screening and early diagnosis. “We have the knowledge, the diagnostics and effective treatments. What matters now is reaching people in time. Every early diagnosis can protect a life, a family and our health system from a much greater future burden.”
Yasir Niazi said the partnership reflected a broader model of healthcare collaboration in which Government leadership and institutional capacity work together. “The future of healthcare lies in ecosystems, not silos. When Government leadership is matched with the infrastructure, reach and clinical capacity of responsible private institutions, we can move faster and reach further. ANTH is proud to serve this national mission.”
The initiative follows a high-level national seminar convened in Islamabad on World Hepatitis Day 2026 by the Federal Health Ministry in collaboration with ANTH, GAK HealthCare and others. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the seminar, attended by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry as Chief Guest, along with senior government officials, WHO representatives, healthcare leaders, policymakers, researchers and clinicians.
During the seminar, Dr. Dawar designated ANTH as the focal point for the program, citing its strategic location, advanced infrastructure, clinical capacity and extensive catchment across Islamabad, Rawalpindi Division, Murree, Galyat, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
With the screening site now operational, ANTH will leverage its reach and clinical capacity to support earlier detection, timely care and Pakistan’s journey towards a Hepatitis-Free Pakistan by 2030.
