ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr Faisal Sultan on Thursday said the government has devised national and provincial strategies to end HIV/Aids by 2030.

While attending an event in connection with World Aids Day, he said a plan of action has been set for 2021-25 to create an enabling environment with multi-sectoral engagement to address legislative, socio-cultural-economic, religious, political, legal and financial determinants that can influence HIV awareness, education, prevention, care, treatment and support initiatives.

The theme for this year’s World Aids Day was ‘End Inequalities. End Aids. End Pandemics.’ The Aids epidemic in the Asia Pacific is rising and becoming all the more challenging in Pakistan. There has been a significant rise of people with HIV living in Pakistan, with 84 percent of these new infections being reported between 2010-2021.

Influential diplomats, representatives of United Nations Country Team (UNCT); Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS); Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM); health, population, nutrition and health development partners; Association of People Living with Aids (APLHIV) and other community-based organisations working on HIV attended the event.

Health ministry coordinating closely with all provinces to halt spread, SAPM says

Mr Sultan said that the health ministry has been working closely with provinces to take steps to work with communities to halt the spread of new infections.

“With support from GFATM, we are providing free of cost HIV diagnostic, treatment, care and support services to people living with HIV through dedicated HIV treatment centres. Even multi-month dispensation has been ensured during lockdowns through door-to-door service provision,” he said.

Dr Sultan concluded his speech by pledging to lead efforts towards increased government spending to cover all aspects of the national HIV response specially along the HIV prevention and treatment cascade, by mobilising domestic resources and integration of HIV services into the health system.

It is worth mentioning that as the world’s attention is focused on the Covid-19 global pandemic, there is a danger that the ongoing HIV and Aids pandemic will be forgotten.

Speaking at the event Ms Yuki Takemoto, UNAIDS country director for Pakistan and Afghanistan said that HIV/Aids still threatens the world including Pakistan.

Sharing his opinion, UN Resident Coordinator Julien Harneis said for course corrections, people need to end Aids as it will also protect Pakistan against future pandemics.

National coordinator of APLHIV Asghar Satti stressed upon constant HIV testing for ensuring that all people living with HIV can lead a healthy and productive life.

Furthermore, another event was held at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in collaboration with APLHIV.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Nausheen Hamid expressed concern over the rising rate of HIV in Pakistan and advocated for better preventive measures to discourage quackery which is one of the leading causes of HIV in Pakistan.

Deputy national coordinator, National Aids Control Programme Prof Ayesha Isani Majeed said steps are being taken to control Aids in Pakistan.

“We have done comprehensive testing at Central Jail Rawalpindi and camps in Islamabad Capital Territory at Meharabadi and Bari Imam to identify positive cases and give awareness to them not to become a source of spread,” she said.

Pims Director Dr Ejaz Qadeer said communicable diseases should be tackled by the government at the primary health care level.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2021