ISLAMABAD: The government has made Hepatitis C screening mandatory for employees of the Ministry of National Health Services, with the salaries of those who refuse to undergo the test to be withheld, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Tuesday.

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday launched mandatory Hepatitis C screening for government employees in Islamabad under the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony in Islamabad, the minister said the screening programme would be implemented in phases, with the federal capital being covered in the first phase.

He said Hepatitis C screening was mandatory for everyone in Pakistan aged 12 and above.

“Today, we have made Hepatitis C screening mandatory for employees of the Ministry of National Health Services, and we are writing to other ministries as well for the same purpose,” Mustafa Kamal said.

He said employees who failed to undergo the mandatory test would have their salaries withheld.

The minister said he had also undergone a Hepatitis C test, which returned negative.

Mustafa Kamal said the government was taking steps to expand Hepatitis C screening across the country as part of its efforts to eliminate the disease.

He said 17 free Hepatitis C screening points had been established in Islamabad, while screening facilities would also be expanded through private hospitals. The government would provide screening kits to private hospitals to facilitate testing, he added.

The minister said the government was writing to all federal ministries to arrange Hepatitis C screening for their employees and would seek to make testing mandatory for all government employees, including ministers.

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He said more than 10 million people in Pakistan were living with Hepatitis C, describing the disease as a major public health challenge.

Under the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme, patients diagnosed with the disease would receive free treatment, he said. The government has said the programme aims to screen more than 164 million people nationwide and eliminate Hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.

Mustafa Kamal said Hepatitis C screening was already under way in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, while the programme would gradually be expanded nationwide.

He said screening would also be made mandatory for people deported to Pakistan and that every citizen would eventually have access to Hepatitis C screening.

The minister said screening records were being linked with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), adding that the government planned to make Hepatitis C testing a requirement for obtaining a national identity card and for people travelling abroad.

He identified unsafe blood transfusions as one of the major sources of Hepatitis C transmission and urged citizens to make use of the free screening facilities.

Shangla  –  The National Weather Forecasting Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast another spell of rain, strong winds and thunderstorms in Shangla and other upper and central parts of the country from August 17 to 21, advising the public and relevant departments to remain alert and take precautionary measures.

According to a weather alert issued by the meteorological department on Sunday, intermittent rain accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms is expected in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Shangla, from Monday evening or night through August 21. Heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places during the period.

The PMD forecast said that Shangla, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Malakand, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Peshawar and adjoining areas may receive rain and thunderstorms during the forecast period.

The weather system is expected to remain active in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the evening or night of August 17 through August 21, with further spells of strong winds, thunderstorms and rain likely at scattered places on August 20 and 21.

Residents of mountainous areas of Shangla have been advised to exercise particular caution in view of the forecast.

Rainfall in mountainous terrain can lead to slippery roads, reduced visibility, increased water flow in streams and nullahs, and temporary disruption of road links.

Residents of Shangla and other vulnerable mountainous districts have been urged to take the weather warning seriously and remain vigilant throughout the forecast period, particularly during heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.

Blake Lively is remembering her late Ice Princess costars Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg with a heartfelt message urging people to choose kindness.

Taking to her Instagram Stories on Monday, August 17, the 38-year-old actress paid tribute to Panettiere and Trachtenberg with a compilation of clips from the 2005 Disney film.

“Be. Kind. You never know what others are going through,” Lively wrote over the video. “Thank you to both these women for all the joy you brought so many,” she added.

Blake Lively appeared alongside Panettiere and Trachtenberg in Ice Princess, which also starred Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall. The film followed Casey Carlyle, played by Trachtenberg, a talented student who decides to pursue her dream of becoming a competitive figure skater rather than following the academic path expected of her.

Hayden Panettiere portrayed Gen Harwood, the captain of a local figure skating team and Casey’s initial rival. Gen’s mother, Tina, played by Cattrall, was a former skater who eventually helps bring the two girls together.

Panettiere died on August 16 at the age of 36, just days before what would have been her 37th birthday. Her family confirmed her death in a statement, describing the actress as “an incredible light and a force of nature.”

Trachtenberg, meanwhile, died at age 39 on February 26, 2025, in New York City. The Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress died from complications of diabetes mellitus.