ISLAMABAD: Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital (ANTH) has been declared a hepatitis screening site by the government, expanding access to early detection and timely care.

The site was inaugurated by Project Director of Prime Minister’s National Programme for Elimination of Hepatitis, Dr Zia Ullah Khan Dawar, following ANTH’s designation as the focal point for the PM’s hepatitis elimination programme by the Ministry of Health under the leadership of Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal.

Dr Dawar said the government was committed to taking hepatitis screening to people’s doorsteps, stressing that wider screening was fundamental to elimination because early detection enabled timely treatment and helped prevent serious complications.

He said ANTH’s inclusion in the national screening network would strengthen the programme by leveraging its clinical capacity, healthcare infrastructure and extensive patient base, demonstrating the potential of public-private collaboration in advancing national health priorities.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2026