Islamabad: Alarmed by the rapid rise in HIV and Hepatitis B and C infections across Pakistan, the federal health ministry has made HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C screening mandatory before all invasive medical and surgical procedures in public and private healthcare facilities nationwide.
The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Tuesday issued urgent directives to all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, federal hospitals and the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA), directing them to immediately enforce mandatory screening and strict infection prevention and control protocols in healthcare settings.
Under the new instructions, all hospitals and healthcare facilities have been directed to conduct HIV 1 and 2 antibody tests through Rapid or ELISA methods, Hepatitis B screening through HBsAg testing and Hepatitis C screening through Anti-HCV tests prior to carrying out any invasive medical or surgical procedure.
The ministry said the directives were issued on the instructions of Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal after the ministry took “serious notice” of the growing spread of HIV and viral hepatitis in the country.
The move comes amid a worrying increase in HIV infections in Pakistan, where 14,182 new HIV cases were reported during 2025, while more than 4,000 additional HIV cases have already been detected during the first four months of 2026, according to official figures and health authorities.
Separate official letters issued by the ministry stated that all concerned healthcare institutions must strictly comply with infection prevention and control measures to prevent further spread of bloodborne infections.
The directives were sent to chief secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, asking them to ensure implementation of the screening protocol in all public and private healthcare facilities in their respective jurisdictions.
Separate letters were also issued to major federal healthcare institutions including PIMS Islamabad, Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute Lahore, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Federal General Hospital Islamabad, District Health Officer Islamabad and Fauji General Teaching Hospital Rawalpindi.
Another directive was sent to the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority, directing it to disseminate and enforce the instructions among all healthcare facilities operating under its regulatory jurisdiction.
According to the ministry, healthcare facilities would also be responsible for providing counselling, guidance and referral services to individuals who test positive for HIV or hepatitis infections.
Public health experts termed the decision an extraordinary but necessary intervention in view of Pakistan’s growing burden of bloodborne infections, which they say are being driven by unsafe injections, reuse of syringes, poor infection control practices, unsafe blood transfusions and weak regulation of parts of the healthcare sector.
Pakistan already has one of the world’s highest burdens of Hepatitis C, while HIV infections have steadily increased over the past several years with repeated outbreaks reported from Sindh, Punjab and other parts of the country, including among children.
Health experts, however, cautioned that mandatory screening alone would not be enough unless accompanied by strict enforcement of safe injection practices, sterilization standards, proper disposal of medical waste and stronger monitoring of private healthcare facilities.
Officials said the federal health ministry was emphasizing strict adherence to infection prevention and control protocols in all hospitals and healthcare centres to prevent further spread of HIV and viral hepatitis in the country.
Ends