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A doctor who spread the disease by reusing injections finds support from the PMA
A nurse tests a blood sample. PHOTO: REUTERS / FILE
HYDERABAD: While HIV case detection continues in Larkana after the spread of the virus allegedly by local doctors and charlatans, 128 people, including 102 children, were diagnosed with HIV. Larkana Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Raza Khuhro and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Noman Siddique said at a press conference Saturday that 3,500 people had already been watched.
Khuhro and Siddiqui felt that a majority of people did not show up for screening tests for fear of a life-threatening illness. Two women and 26 men are among the 128 seropositive cases. The news about the spread of HIV, especially among children in Larkana, was announced last week after local doctors like Dr. Imran Arbani highlighted the problem.
Sindh Minister of Health blames doctor while HIV cases reach 90
The Commissioner said that an AIDS treatment center already existed in Larkana, but given the high number of HIV cases among children, a pediatric ward for AIDS patients will also be created.
The commissioner and DC also ensured a fierce action against the charlatans of the Larkana division. "We will seal their clinics and book them [quacks] in FIRs, "said the Commissioner. "People who rent their houses or shops from quacks will also be nominated in FIRs."
They said measures would be taken in the five districts of Larkana Division. The statements of the two officials laid bare the performance of the Sindh Department of Health, the Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) and the Sind Charlatan Directorate.
In its numerous charlatan ordinances, the Sindh High Court in Karachi and its benches in Hyderabad and Sukkur had ordered the health authorities to close all clinics and hospitals run by charlatans. However, the illegal trade seems to continue unabated.
Khuhro said that charlatans and doctors involved in bad medical practices are responsible for HIV infection of children and infants, mainly through the repeated use of syringes. The commissioner said that media reports about the spread of HIV cases have caused fear in Larkana and nearby cities, which is why many people do not go to health centers for HIV testing.
Moreover, the police crackdown against the quacks also continued on Saturday with the closure of four clinics in the rural town of Naudero and the arrest of many suspected quacks. Two of the arrested men, however, were released after providing copies of their homeopathic diplomas, while two others, Naseem Shaikh and Pervez Larik, had been reserved in FIRs containing Articles 417, 419 and 270 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
HIV was diagnosed in four children belonging to the same family in the neighboring district of Shikarpur. The family told the health authorities that they were taking their children to the doctor in Ratodero.
Extended referral
A three-day court in Larkana on Friday prolonged the pre-trial detention of the doctor suspected of infecting his patients with HIV after the expiry of his first pre-trial detention, which also lasted three days. However, Dr. Muzaffar Ghangro, who was diagnosed HIV-positive during a health clinic raid earlier this week, received support from the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) for its release.
The PMA section in Larkana also considers Ghangro innocent and accuses the provincial government of having sentenced him to infect all the people who have been examined so far in the district. Wearing a black armband, PMA members met at Chandka Medical College Hospital and expressed their opposition to the doctor's arrest. They also demanded that the government provide medical treatment to Ghangro. The association also called for the establishment of medical treatment facilities for HIV and AIDS patients, especially children in Larkana.
A team of doctors goes to Larkana
Media advice
Faryal Talpur, sister of the co-chairman and former chairman of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, asked the media not to scare the people about the virus. "The situation is serious at the moment, but the Sindh government will fix it," said Talpur, elected Larkana MPA.
She said HIV-positive patients could benefit from lifelong treatment, such as those with diabetes. "The media should not scare affected families but rather encourage them to follow medical treatment." She also called on civil society to play its role in helping affected families.
Posted in The Express Tribune May 5th, 2019.
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