At UNGA, Dr Saeed Akhter stresses national program to end Hepatitis C from Pakistan by 2030

ISLAMABAD – Famous Pakistani Urologist and Director of Transplant Surgery at Shifa International Hospital Dr Saeed Akhter has paid a visit to the United Nation General Assembly, where he discussed Pakistan’s efforts to end Hepatitis C from the fifth populated nation where nearly 10 million are infected with liver infection.

Dr Saeed, whose brainchild Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute garnered international fame, quoted Egypt as a transcontinental nation that is about to file its elimination status with World Health Organization after concerted efforts.

During his visit to UN General Assembly, he interacted with top officials including Dr Harvey Alter, a Nobel Prize recipient for discovering Hepatitis C Virus in 1989. He also rubbed shoulders with several others who can help Pakistan in our future endeavours.

In a conversation with DailyPakistan, Dr Saeed told that he has highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to launch the National Hepatitis C Elimination Program as the country rolled out a nationwide campaign to elucidating the roadmap and strategies for effectively diminishing Hepatitis prevalence.

Dr Saeed further mentioned that PKLI has 15 billion rupees in the trust fund which would help in providing free treatment to the underprivileged in the country. He said efforts are being made to create a strong unified national program with a very strong AI-based IT system.

Calling the target of elimination of Hepatitus C from Pakistan by 2030, a very achievable target, he stressed enhancing awareness regarding Hepatitis C and presenting a comprehensive strategy aimed at curbing its future propagation.

Who is Dr Saeed Akhtar?

Before returning to Pakistan, Dr Saeed Akhter was chairing Department of Urology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas. He pursued training in Urology and Transplant at Maimonides Medical Center and Down State University New York, and University of Minnesota.

He served at Yale University, and heads several professional organizations including Life Savers Foundation Pakistan as CEO. The urologist published dozens of papers in peer reviewed journals and given presentations and invited lectures.

His professional memberships include American Urological Association, American Society of Transplant surgeons and The Transplant Society. Dr. Akhter is the current President of the Transplantation Society of Pakistan.

In Pakistan, Dr Saeed Akhtar envisioned a state-of-the-art facility in public domain, and over the years he has done a lot to tackle the growing burden of patients with liver and kidney related diseases as liver disease is a significant problem in Pakistan, over 2 million are in need of liver transplantation to save their life.