January 30, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 20, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 29: There is a great need to create awareness about HIV/Aids among the masses so as to do away with the stigma attached to the killer disease. A sympathetic behaviour towards the people infected with HIV/Aids may help in coping with the disease in a better way.

This was stated by the provincial programme manager of the Sindh Aids Control Programme (SACP), Dr Arshad Mehmood, on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the first-ever provincial conference organised by the SACP in collaboration with Pakistan Society. Dr Mehmood said that the SACP was making joint efforts to control the disease along with different NGOs, which had been working on high-risk groups of Aids patients and were providing them with technical and financial assistance in this regard.He said that the SACP was providing necessary medicines, CG4 and viral load, counselling and other facilities to the Aids patients free of cost.

“We will do, whatever we can for the well-being of these patients,” he pledged. The SACP official commended the role of Pakistan Society against the spread of the disease.

A speaker from Punjab, Shukriya Gul, urged other provinces to offer more and more facilities to Aids patients.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Health Minister Fauzia Lari said that there was a need for taking positive steps to control the disease.

She said that the public and private sectors would have to chalk out a combined strategy for the purpose, as Aids was not only related to the health sector, but was also a burning social issue.

Highlighting the role of the government functionaries, Dr Salim Azam said that efforts should be made to fight the menace. The deputy programme manager of the SACP, Qamar Abbas, Dr Sikandar Iqbal, Dr Mohammad Salim, Dr Salman Safdar, Dr Shaheed Baqi, Dr Shehnaz Salwani of the UNFPA and others attended the moot.—PPI