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| December 3, 2005 | Saturday | Shawwal 30, 1426 |
Media asked to create awareness: Impending danger of HIV/Aids
ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Federal Minister for Health, Muhammad Nasir Khan said on Friday that the media had a role to play in creating awareness about the impending danger of HIV/Aids with Pakistan being predicted as one of the high risk countries in the world.
He was speaking as chief guest at an advocacy programme jointly organized by National Aids Control Programme (NACP) and health ministry for government officials and other stakeholders.
It was organized under the project called delivery of Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) services through TV & radio channels, print media and IPC interventions, of enhanced HIV/Aids control programme, in connection with World Aids Day 2005.
He said owing to its religio-socio cultural and family values, so far the country was safe from the killer virus, however, “it is knocking on our doors and we have to strengthen our guards to safe this country from HIV/Aids.”
With increased globalizations, Pakistani expatriates living in the Middle Eastern countries without their families and India looking after five million HIV/Aids patients, it is time to give serious thought to adoption of preventive measures.
“We need to be more aware of the problem, and through private-public sector partnership and effective media strategies, I believe the country could fight the menace,” the minister said.
Every body has an understanding that HIV and Aids is a multi-faceted transnational risk, and advocacy at all level has a key role to play in ensuring that all the partners and various aspects of the epidemic, including policy-related issues, receive attention in the public sphere.
He optimistically talked regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by NACP, CPNE and UNICEF, through a joint project called Caring for Media Partnership and another MoU signed with electronic media, with the belief that media could help reduce the spread of the scourge and the suffering associated with Aids through the dissemination of the necessary knowledge to the public.
He said that to change the society’s attitude towards the problem, “we have to ensure to actively engage in prevention activities and to reduce stigma and discrimination attached to HIV/Aids.”
He further emphasized that parents should play their role in guiding their children to protect themselves from this deadly disease. He emphasized the importance of changing behaviour and also urged to follow Islamic teachings and norms.
On launching the ethical terms guide for HIV & Aids developed by NACP with assistance of UNICEF, he said that it was important as the reporting on HIV and Aids needed to be done with utmost sensitivity because of stigma and social discrimination associated with the disease.
Mr Nasir Khan launched the web-site of NACP and assured that all the relevant information related to Aids will be provided on the web-site.
Dr Asma Bokhari, Manager, National Aids Control Programme gave an overview of the global and national situation of HIV/Aids.
She while sharing the global statistics of HIV & Aids said that there were 52 million people living with HIV & Aids according to the report of UNAids 2004.
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