ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed concern over high incidence of hepatitis in the country, particularly in rural areas, and asked the ministry of health to prepare a comprehensive programme to address the issue on a war footing.

Presiding over a meeting held here on Thursday to work out a plan for prevention and control of hepatitis, the prime minister said that despite financial constraints, the government would not reduce funds for health and education sectors.

He stressed the need for curbing hepatitis at its source by ensuring safe blood transfusion, strengthening the national network of disease surveillance and proper sterilisation of apparatus, including syringes and surgical blades.

He asked the health ministry to expand the hepatitis-B vaccination programme to far-flung areas.

The ministry informed the meeting that it had prepared an emergency programme to control the disease and blamed the use of unsafe injection by both registered and unregistered medical practitioners for the spread of hepatitis in rural areas.

The meeting decided that the provincial governments would be assigned the responsibility of treatment while the federal government would ensure availability of low-cost vaccines and drugs. A separate programme for safe blood transfusion will be initiated next year.

Also on Thursday, during a meeting with a delegation of students from Balochistan, the prime minister said the government was focussing on providing effective health and education facilities across the country.

He said the government accorded the highest priority to development of Balochistan and wanted to see it on a par with the rest of the country.