​​​Hepatitis B and C represent the foremost health challenge confronting the developing world today. With the major burden of disease in Asia, these viruses represent a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the next few decades in this region. The national figures for Pakistan for the prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are 2.5 % and 4.9 % respectively. With a population of 200 million, this translates to a healthcare burden of 15 million people suffering from these viruses.

AKUH's Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) programme is based on a similar programme in the US, which takes the treatment of HCV into the community.