Pakistan Mandates HIV and Hepatitis Screening Before All Medical Procedures
The Pakistani government has introduced mandatory HIV and Hepatitis B and C screening for all patients prior to medical procedures, a sweeping public health directive that represents one of the most significant systemic interventions in Pakistan's healthcare framework in recent years.
The policy mandates that healthcare facilities — both public and private — conduct blood-borne infection screening before surgical, invasive, or procedural interventions. Officials stated that the move is aimed at preventing iatrogenic transmission of infectious diseases, a persistent problem in Pakistan's healthcare system where blood safety protocols have historically been inconsistent.
Health authorities indicated that implementation will be supported by a nationwide rollout of testing infrastructure, with government hospitals required to integrate the screening step into their pre-operative protocols. Private healthcare providers will also be subject to the requirement, with the Ministry of National Health Services tasked with monitoring compliance.
Public health experts welcomed the directive as a long-overdue structural reform, noting that Pakistan carries one of the highest hepatitis C burdens in the world. Systematic pre-procedure screening is expected not only to reduce nosocomial infection rates but also to serve as an early detection mechanism, connecting undiagnosed patients to treatment pathways that have been expanding under national disease control programmes.
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