Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said that the government is going to ban 10cc syringes in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Mustafa Kamal said that 10cc syringes will be banned, adding that once a syringe is used, it should not be reused.
He stated that the reuse of syringes led to an outbreak of HIV (AIDS). At present, there are 84,000 registered HIV cases in Pakistan.
The Health Minister said that out of 84,000 HIV patients, 61,000 are currently under treatment. He added that AIDS is no longer an incurable disease. However, medicines for HIV are not available in the open market, and patients can only obtain them from designated government centers.
He further stated that patients who take medication regularly do not transmit the virus. He added that new medicines are being introduced which may only need to be taken once every six months or a year, whereas previously HIV medication had to be taken daily for life.
