New Delhi, September 23 (Daily Kiran) : India has reaffirmed its commitment to combat viral hepatitis and eliminate Hepatitis B and C as public health threats by the year 2030. This declaration was made during a side event at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 23, 2026.
Central Health Secretary Poonam Salila Srivastava addressed the event titled “Advancing Global Action to Eliminate Hepatitis,” organized by the UN Group of Friends. She emphasized India’s dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda for 2030, which aims to eradicate Hepatitis B and C.
Srivastava highlighted India’s comprehensive, people-centered approach to tackling hepatitis, which includes prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The country has strengthened its initiatives at all levels, incorporating screening during pregnancy, free testing and treatment, safe blood transfusion services, and counseling and rehabilitation support for people who inject drugs.
The scale of these efforts is reflected in the statistics: over 225 million beneficiaries have been screened, and more than 652,000 patients have received free treatment. Srivastava underscored the importance of continuous global collaboration, equal access to prevention, screening, and treatment, and robust health systems to accelerate progress toward the 2030 targets.
She reiterated that India is committed to promoting coordinated, accessible, and equitable actions to address viral hepatitis and eliminate it as a public health threat by 2030.
Leave a Comment