ISLAMABAD, 19 MAY (DNA) —    On the directives of Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the Ministry of National Health Services issued urgent nationwide instructions to strengthen preventive measures against HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

The Health Ministry has directed all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan to ensure immediate implementation of precautionary protocols across public and private healthcare facilities.

Official directives have also been issued to federally administered hospitals, District Health Officers, and the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority. According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, all public and private hospitals and health centres have been instructed to strictly implement prescribed screening protocols before every medical and surgical procedure.

The ministry has made HIV and Hepatitis B and C testing mandatory prior to all medical and surgical interventions, while routine screening of patients at healthcare facilities has also been declared compulsory. The spokesperson added that patients testing positive will be provided complete counselling, guidance, and treatment facilities.— DNA