ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The government has approved a plan to establish state-of-the-art HIV/Aids diagnostic laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. The laboratory will not only fulfil the needs of the Second General Surveillance System (SGS) but also be instrumental in successfully implementing Enhanced HIV/Aids

Control Programme,” Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said.

He was speaking at a one-day seminar on HIV\Aids Data Dissemination jointly organized by Canada Pakistan HIV/Aids Surveillance Project and the National Aids Control Programme.

Findings of second generation surveillance implemented by HIV/Aids surveillance project and National Aids Control programme targets high risk groups to gather information about behavioural and biological trends of HIV/Aids.

The minister said the diagnostic lab would be a hub for all HIV/Aids related laboratory testing.

Participants of the workshop were also briefed about the results of pilot mapping, integrated behavioural and biological surveillance in Rawalpindi and Karachi.

Through pilot mapping, estimates of different high risk groups and their behaviour and biological trends in the two cities were collected by national programme manager Dr Asma Bokhari through the support of Dr Sohail Abbas, Dr Arshad Altaf, Dr Nadeem Saleem and Dr Faran Emmanuelle.

The minister said Pakistan was a low prevalence but high risk country for HIV/Aids due to multiple risk factors including different high risk groups such as long distance truck drivers, female sex workers, eunuchs, injection drug users, large overseas Pakistani population, HIV positive migrant workers deported from Gulf countries, low condom use, etc.

He emphasized for adoption of preventive measures which he said would be more effective in a low prevalence country like Pakistan.

The health minister said the government was committed to improving the overall health indicators in the country which was evident from the fact that the health budget had been increased from Rs6.1 billion to Rs10.5 billion in the current fiscal year.

With reference to treatment of HIV/Aids, Mr Khan said, from November this year anti retro-viral drugs would also be made available for HIV positive individuals in the country.