Due to a reduction in financial support from international donors, HIV prevention and treatment programs in Pakistan are under severe pressure. Experts and officials have warned that years of progress could be at risk.
According to details, Pakistan’s HIV programs largely depend on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which has been providing services against the disease in the country for the past two decades.
However, several key programs have been restricted due to a reduction in funding in the latest grant. The Global Fund has cut approximately 4 million dollars from the amount allocated for Pakistan.
According to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), around 350,000 people in Pakistan are living with HIV, but only 21 percent are aware of their status and only 18 percent are receiving treatment.
Experts say that the funding shortfall is affecting testing, counseling, and community outreach programs, increasing the risk of further spread of the epidemic.
Experts and representatives of civil society have urged the government to increase domestic funding for HIV programs so that the disease can be controlled and the achievements of past decades are not lost.
