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Provincial Health Minister Outlines Government's Efforts to Control the Epidemic
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: Health Minister of Sindh, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, said the legislation for the creation of a health commission, tasked with fighting the HIV epidemic, had been finalized. The commission will now be operational to deal effectively with the problem of HIV prevalence, with teams working at the district level, she said.
At a press conference, Dr. Pechuho said that the World Health Organization (WHO) team to investigate the cause of the outbreak of the disease. HIV had completed its investigation and revealed the results.
According to WHO Representative Palitha Mahipala, who also attended the press conference, it was revealed that the spread of the HIV virus was mainly due to the use of dangerous blood, injections and unsafe practices. .
WHO collaborates with Sindh health service to fight HIV
In this regard, Dr. Pechuho said that the investigation had revealed that a large number of Sindh doctors practiced dangerous medical practices. Efforts are being made to prevent them, she added. She also asked the federal government to allocate some money in the budget to the production of auto-disable syringes in Pakistan.
She said the recent outbreak was a sign that if the HIV problem was further neglected, it would create a dangerous situation.
The federal Minister of Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, also attended the press conference and said the federal and provincial governments were working together and that the recent HIV epidemic called for a wake-up call to improve the health care system. health of the country. He emphasized the need to make the HIV control program more effective at the national and provincial levels.
He said Pakistan had the highest number of hepatitis B cases in the world and that hepatitis C was also becoming a daunting challenge, adding that it was not treated , HIV would also become a major problem.
Dr. Pechuho emphasized that the spread of HIV was a critical problem that was not limited to Larkana. She said Pakistan had the highest number of HIV cases in the world and that efforts needed to be made across the country to cope, adding that the provincial government intended to ask for additional help. WHO in this regard, she said.
"We learned our lesson and we would not tolerate children being infected with the virus," she said.
She added that more than 27,000 people were screened for HIV in Larkana, of whom 598 were HIV-positive, including 500 children and 98 adults.
According to Dr. Pechuho, HIV testing centers were available in all districts of Sindh and every pregnant woman was tested for HIV. We would not be able to screen as thoroughly as Rato Dero in other parts of Sindh, but screening has been made mandatory for pregnant women in all districts, she said.
Speaking about the measures taken by the Sindh government to fight HIV in the province, Dr. Pechuho said that one billion rupees in the budget had been allocated to the treatment of HIV patients. She added that the government intended to take steps to effectively manage hospital waste, starting with Larkana, which would help stem the epidemic.
Dr. Mirza said the government had taken steps to launch antiretroviral drug production in Pakistan and stressed the need to invest in improving the overall health system in Pakistan.
The Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the Secretary of Health, Saeed Ahmed Awan, the Director General of Health, Masood Solangi, as well as officials from UNICEF and the World Health Organization UNAIDS attended the press conference.
At the same time, at another press conference, international health experts emphasized the need for HIV testing facilities, as well as hepatitis B and HIV. Hepatitis C, across Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, the head of the WHO team visiting Pakistan, Dr. Oliver Morgan stressed the need to take action to end risky and unsafe practices of health care providers. He pointed out that the problem of questionable practices of health care providers was not limited to a single region of the country.
537 HIV-positive children in Larkana, says health advisor
"In the future, it is suggested to reduce risky practices and ensure the uninterrupted supply of antiretroviral drugs to people affected by HIV," he said.
Dr. Oliver said his team had worked closely with federal and provincial health authorities and appreciated their efforts to solve the problem.
At the press conference, Dr Eamonn Murphy, Regional Director of the UNAIDS Support Team for Asia and the Pacific, said: "There needs to be a focus on improving infection control ", pointing out that the unjustified use of intravenous infusions and syringes should be limited. He also expressed concern about the prevalence of quackery.
Posted in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2019.
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