Fear grips Larkana as 128 people diagnosed HIV positive

Doctor who allegedly spread the disease by reusing injections finds support from PMA

HYDERABAD: As the screening of HIV cases continues in Larkana after spread of the virus allegedly by local doctors and quacks, 128 people including 102 children have been diagnosed as HIV positive. Larkana Commissioner Muhammad Saleem Raza Khuhro and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Noman Siddique told a press conference on Saturday that 3,500 people have been screened so far.

Khuhro and Siddiqui believed that a majority of the people are not coming for the screening tests due to fear of the fatal health condition. Two women and 26 men are among those 128 HIV positive cases. The news about the spread of HIV specially among children in Larkana broke last week after some local doctors like Dr Imran Arbani highlighted the issue.



The commissioner said a centre for the treatment of AIDS patients already existed in Larkana but in view of the high number of HIV cases among children, a pediatric ward for AIDs patients will also be established.

The commissioner and DC also assured of launching an unrelenting action against quacks in Larkana division. "We will seal their clinics and book them [quacks] in FIRs," said the commissioner. "The people who rent out their homes or shops to quacks will also be nominated in the FIRs."

They said action will be taken in all the five districts of Larkana division. The statements of the two officials have laid bare the performance of the Sindh health department, Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) and the Sindh Anti-Quackery Directorate.

In its multiple orders pertaining to quacks, the Sindh High Court Karachi and its benches in Hyderabad and Sukkur had ordered the health authorities to close all clinics and hospitals operated by quacks. However, the illegal business apparently continues unabated.

Khuhro said quacks and the doctors involved in bad medical practices are responsible for infecting children and infants with HIV mostly through the repeated use of syringes. The commissioner said the media reports about the spread of HIV cases have spread fear in Larkana and adjoining cities owing to which many people are not visiting the health centres for HIV screening.

Meanwhile, the police crackdown against quacks also continued on Saturday when four clinics were sealed in Naudero rural town as many alleged quacks were arrested. However, two of the arrested men were released after they provided copies of their degrees in homeopathy while two others, Naseem Shaikh and Pervez Larik, were booked in FIRs containing Sections 417, 419 and 270 of Pakistan Penal Code.

Four children belonging to the same family were diagnosed with HIV in the neighbouring Shikarpur district. The family told the health authorities that they used to take their children to the doctors in Ratodero.

Remand extended

A court in Larkana extended on Friday the physical remand of the doctor, who is suspected of infecting his patients with HIV, by three days after the expiry of his first remand which also lasted for three days. However, Dr Muzaffar Ghangro, who himself was diagnosed HIV positive during a raid at his clinic by the health authorities earlier this week, has received the Pakistan Medical Association's (PMA) support for his release.

PMA's Larkana chapter considers Ghangro innocent as well and blames the provincial government for saddling him with the guilt of infecting all the people who have been screened so far in the district. Wearing black armbands, PMA members met at Chandka Medical College Hospital and expressed their opposition to the doctor's arrest. They also demanded that the government should provide medical treatment to Ghangro. The association also called for providing medical treatment facilities for HIV and AIDS patients specially children in Larkana.



Advice to media

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Faryal Talpur, who is the sister of PPP Co-Chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari, asked the media not to scare the people about the virus. "The situation is grave at the moment but the Sindh government is going to tackle it," said Talpur who was elected MPA from Larkana.

She said HIV patients can be provided lifelong treatment like those suffering from diabetes. "The media shouldn't frighten the affected families and instead should encourage them to take the medical treatment." She also asked the civil society to play their part in helping the affected families. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2019.