Collective efforts needed to defeat HIV-AIDS: Kiani

Health minister urges society to shun stigmas associated with the disease

The government is committed to making sincere efforts to increase access to and uptake of HIV preventive and treatment services.

“We are determined to engage with all stakeholders to promote HIV awareness and minimise stigma and discrimination against victims of the disease,” said Federal Minister National Health Services Aamer Mehmood Kiani.

The government also aspires to support people living with HIV by creating an inclusive environment and adopting an integrated, multi-sectoral approach to address the socio-economic determinants responsible for the spread of HIV in the country. He said this while addressing a seminar in connection with World AIDS Day.

The Health Minister said Pakistan has an estimated 150,000 people living with HIV. Out of this number only 25,000 cases are registered at the 33 HIV treatment centres across the country.



“We all need to realise our responsibilities and recognise the critical role we have to play as a society to make Pakistan HIV free. We still have a chance today as Pakistan is confronted with a concentrated HIV epidemic,” he said.

A focused and targeted approach is needed to address this problem. “We need to unite to avert a full-blown HIV epidemic by taking immediate preventive measures, encourage HIV testing and treatment, and address HIV associated stigma and discrimination to reduce the number of new HIV infections.”

Kiani said that a series of awareness sessions was held at the community level through public outreach campaigns, educational institutes, policy making institutions and hospitals to share important information and statistics related to the HIV epidemic in the country.



Free of cost HIV testing and treatment services being provided by the government of Pakistan are also commendable, he said. “We hope that everyday becomes an AIDS Awareness Day till we can liberate the country of this menace.”

Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has made concrete and concerted efforts through the National AIDS Control Programme to promote HIV awareness and adopted a high impact evidence based approach for the coming years focusing on both prevention and treatment of the disease through working directly with the affected communities.

National AIDS Programme Programme Manager Dr Baseer Khan said the World AIDS Day, 2018 theme of “know your status” is also a reinforcement of basic human right to enable every individual to seek basic health services and also knowing his status of health. “Throughout the week we have been provided an opportunity to realise that HIV can be prevented and HIV can be treated so let’s all take that first step towards making Pakistan HIV free as responsible citizens of this great country,” Baseer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2018.