Fighting AIDS: Global Fund okays $16m for Pakistan

Approves concept note for Asian countries for 2016-17

ISLAMABAD:

The Global Fund has approved a concept note for Asian countries, including Pakistan, under which $16 million has been approved for the country for year 2016-17 to support its fight against HIV/Aids.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) told The Express Tribune that the concept note had been approved in the 34th Global Fund board meeting held on November 16-17 this year.

“Pakistan had submitted the concept note this year in March. In July it was sent back as it had few shortcomings. Later in September it was re-submitted after those shortcomings were addressed and now in November it has been approved,” he said.

The National Aids Control Programme Manager Dr Baseer Achakzai said the approval of this concept note was a positive sign for Pakistan in its fight against HIV/Aids.

Sharing details of the concept note, he said in this the major focus is on reducing the gap between an estimated 94,000 people living with HIV/Aids in the country and 14,000 of whom are registered officially with the government.

“There is a dire need to locate those 80,000 people who are living with HIV/Aids and the government is clueless about their whereabouts,” he said.

For this purpose, he said, teams of Aids Control Programme will visit key areas where the prevalence rate of the disease is high and will test people at their doorsteps and provide free treatment.

“In the concept note for the year 2016-17, we have set a target of testing 12,000 people free of charge and treat around 50,000 people without charging even a single penny,” he said, adding that the government is looking forward to increase the number of treatment centres established across the country from 21 to 25 till 2017. Achakzai said stress had been laid on having a proper legislation over controlling HIV/Aids in the country.

Meanwhile, an awareness campaign will be run along with the parliamentarians and religious scholars to impart knowledge about the disease. “We have to take this message forward that prevention is better than cure,” he said.

According to official data, out of the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDs in the country, 70% are male (63,872) and 30% female (27,468); 2.5% children under 14 years of age (1.3% male children and 1.2% female children); and 1,770 women in need of prevention of mother/parent to child transmission services, among others.


Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2015.