Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said that it has been decided to make AIDS screening mandatory before any surgery in relation to HIV.
A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health was held under the chairmanship of Committee Chairman Mahesh Kumar Malani, where Ministry of Health officials stated that the Health Minister had requested that the briefing on AIDS be held in camera, however members opposed the in camera briefing.
Officials of the Ministry of Health informed during the briefing that the number of registered HIV cases across the country has reached 84,000, of which 61,000 patients are under treatment, while more than 16,000 patients have gone missing during treatment.
Officials said that the major reason for the increase in reported cases is increased screening. It was also stated in the committee meeting that in 2020, around 38,000 individuals were screened at 49 centers, while by 2025 the number of testing centers increased to 97, where more than 300,000 people were tested and over 14,000 cases came out positive. Committee members termed the reuse of syringes as a major cause of the spread of HIV.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that he held a meeting with the Prime Minister regarding HIV, in which it was also decided to ban the reuse of any syringe, including 10cc syringes, and to make AIDS screening mandatory before any surgery.
He stated that for the prevention of HIV, Pakistan is receiving 65 million dollars from the Global Fund, out of which only 3.9 million dollars have been allocated to the Ministry of Health, while 61 million dollars are being given to two non governmental organizations.
Committee members recommended that all relevant institutions should brief the committee in the next meeting.
