'SHCC's inaction against quacks led to HIV outbreak'

Reuse of syringes, presence of quacks resulted in the spread of HIV in Larkana, says Dr Solangi

KARACHI: Sindh Health Director General Dr Masood Solangi has held the Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) responsible for the HIV outbreak in Larkana.

Speaking about the large number of children who tested HIV positive in Larkana, Dr Solangi told The Express Tribune that in children, HIV is mostly transferred through mothers, but it has been revealed after investigation that the actual cause of the spread of HIV in Rato Dero was the reuse of syringes and the presence of quacks.

He said that quacks have been present in large numbers across Sindh but no action was taken against them by SHCC in the past three years, adding that whenever questioned on its inaction, SHCC gave the excuse of shortage of staff and resources. According to Dr Solangi, SHCC is an independent body and the health department is not authorised to take action against it for its failure to address the growing number of quacks in the province.

Cases of HIV have been on continuous rise in Larkana's Rato Dero tehsil. So far, 26,404 people have been screened for HIV in Rato Dero, out of which 761 have tested positive, including 623 minors and 138 adults. The screening is being carried out under the AIDS Control Programme of the Sindh health department, as a measure to curb the spread of HIV in the province.



In addition to setting up screening camps to control the spread of HIV, the health department has also taken measures to ensure that healthcare facilities use auto-lock syringes. Drug inspectors in the province have been directed to make sure that only auto-lock syringes are sold at medical stores. An auto-lock syringe can only be used once and ensuring that only these syringes are available to medical facilities would help control the rise in HIV cases.

The health department has also issued guidelines about the screening of blood at blood banks and has launched an operation in this regard across Sindh. As per the department's directives, any blood bank found to be providing blood without screening would be sealed.

According to Dr Solangi, the health department took immediate action following reports of exponential rise in the number of HIV cases and it has been able to control the spread of the epidemic to some extent. He said that about 950 clinics of quacks have been sealed in Sindh, with the coordination of SHCC. He added that the crackdown on quacks was still underway.

Speaking with reference to the lack of medicines in Larkana, he said that another stock of medicines required for HIV treatment has been ordered and it is expected to be delivered by July this year.

Make WHO report public, demands PML-F leader
Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F) General Secretary and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Information Secretary Sardar Abdul Raheem has expressed concern over the World Health Organisation (WHO) report about the HIV outbreak in Larkana, calling the exponential rise in HIV cases Sindh Government's worst failure.
"The recent WHO report has exposed the Sindh government," he said, adding that "A government that cannot provide health facilities to people in its political centre, Larkana, has no right to remain in power." The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government has in fact lost the right to rule, said Raheem. He asked the PPP government to make the WHO report public so that the masses know about the government's inefficiency.



He further said, the WHO report held the Sindh Government responsible for the HIV outbreak, and added that the disease is spreading among children due to the unavailability of appropriate and timely treatment.

Raheem also questioned the provincial government's silence over the report. "Why was the Sindh government, which had claimed that it would transform Larkana into Paris, silent over the WHO report," he said asking when would the provincial government ask for the health minister's resignation.

According to Raheem, HIV patients in Larkana do not have access to medicines and they are dying in miserable condition, as no one seemed willing to comply with the provincial health minister's directives. He claimed that HIV is rapidly spreading outside Larkana, but the provincial government keeps on saying all is well.

Raheem demanded that the findings of the report be made public and immediate action be taken against institutions and individuals held responsible for the HIV outbreak in the report.