Balochistan to be purged of fatal diseases: minister

Diagnostic centres set up in 28 districts of province

QUETTA: Provincial Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch on Wednesday said that free-of-cost HIV/AIDS diagnostic centres had been set up in 28 districts of the province as part of Balochistan government’s efforts to eliminate fatal diseases from the province.

Baloch said this while addressing a ceremony organised by the Balochistan AIDS Control Program and hosted by the Balochistan Boys Scouts Association in Quetta.

The minister also lashed out at previous governments, accusing them of failing to provide adequate health facilities to their constituents. “When our government took the administrative rein of the province, we had to revamp issues that had existed for the past 40 years.”



Baloch added that the poor law and order situation had kept donors and development workers away but “that is now changing”.

Member of Provincial Assembly Yasmeen Lehri also spoke on the occasion and lauded the provincial government for providing free health facilities in Balochistan.

Dr Noor Muhammad Qazi, the chief of the Provincial AIDS Control Program, said there are 3,500 AIDS patients in Balochistan of which 856 have been registered under the Provincial AIDS Control Programme.

UNICEF’s provincial chief Miren Den, DG Health Muhammad Hayat and several parliamentarians also attended the ceremony.