Dasti urges lawmakers to take HIV tests
Proposal comes after minister revealed figure of AIDS patients.
Jamshed Dasti. PHOTO: EXPRESS/SHAHID SAEED
ISLAMABAD:
Independent Member National Assembly (MNA) Jamshed Dasti on Wednesday urged parliamentarians to undergo HIV tests.
“All parliamentarians should undergo HIV test — rather every Pakistani should do so,” MNA Dasti said on floor of the assembly during the question hour.
Dasti’s proposal came after the Minister of National Health Services (NHS), Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarrar revealed that the number of AIDS patients in Pakistan crossed the 100,000 mark this year.
At the same time, she said only 7,819 HIV patients have registered themselves and only 3,700 patients were receiving proper treatment. She added that AIDS has killed around 5,800 people in Pakistan so far.
Tarrar said the stigma associated with HIV was a major reason keeping people from getting themselves tested for the virus or in the case of HIV patients, forcing them to conceal their medical condition.
Endorsing Dasti’s proposal, the minister urged the government to come up with legislation that would make it mandatory for citizens to get themselves tested for HIV. She also suggested that a couple should clear HIV tests before entering conjugal relations.
Despite Dasti and Tarrar’s insistence, the issue did not receive much attention from other lawmakers.
Only Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Begum Beelum Hasnain sought the details of patients undergoing treatment for HIV and steps being taken by the government to control the epidemic.
The NHS minister in her written reply informed the House that 14 community-based home centers had been established to look after HIV/AIDS patients.
Meanwhile, in response to another question, the minister said the government was considering a policy to rationalise the prices of drugs. She said the government was encouraging the manufacturers to produce generic drugs since they were cheaper than branded alternatives and added that around 76,000 drugs had been registered in the country. According to the minister, the government was also looking into granting new licences to increase drug production.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2013.
Independent Member National Assembly (MNA) Jamshed Dasti on Wednesday urged parliamentarians to undergo HIV tests.
“All parliamentarians should undergo HIV test — rather every Pakistani should do so,” MNA Dasti said on floor of the assembly during the question hour.
Dasti’s proposal came after the Minister of National Health Services (NHS), Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarrar revealed that the number of AIDS patients in Pakistan crossed the 100,000 mark this year.
At the same time, she said only 7,819 HIV patients have registered themselves and only 3,700 patients were receiving proper treatment. She added that AIDS has killed around 5,800 people in Pakistan so far.
Tarrar said the stigma associated with HIV was a major reason keeping people from getting themselves tested for the virus or in the case of HIV patients, forcing them to conceal their medical condition.
Endorsing Dasti’s proposal, the minister urged the government to come up with legislation that would make it mandatory for citizens to get themselves tested for HIV. She also suggested that a couple should clear HIV tests before entering conjugal relations.
Despite Dasti and Tarrar’s insistence, the issue did not receive much attention from other lawmakers.
Only Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Begum Beelum Hasnain sought the details of patients undergoing treatment for HIV and steps being taken by the government to control the epidemic.
The NHS minister in her written reply informed the House that 14 community-based home centers had been established to look after HIV/AIDS patients.
Meanwhile, in response to another question, the minister said the government was considering a policy to rationalise the prices of drugs. She said the government was encouraging the manufacturers to produce generic drugs since they were cheaper than branded alternatives and added that around 76,000 drugs had been registered in the country. According to the minister, the government was also looking into granting new licences to increase drug production.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2013.