May 11, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 5, 1429

LAHORE, May 10: Punjab University Resident Officer-I Prof Dr Bashir Ahmad, also member of the varsity's medical committee, has rejected blood diagnostic test results provided by the Islami Jamiat Tulaba during its two-day medical camp on the New Campus.

Prof Ahmad said the IJT had given the grim health data just to panic the university. "The university does not recognise these test results," he added.

The IJT organised a free medical camp this week, where some 2,000 university students' blood was scanned. The IJT reports that the medical camp managed by the King Edward Medical University and Allama Iqbal Medical College doctors and students detected one student HIV positive, 96 Hepatitis-C positive and 43 carriers of Hepatitis A and B.

According to a gender-wise break-up, the IJT said a boy was detected HIV positive. Of 43 Hepatitis-C positive students, there were 17 female and 26 male students. Similarly, there were 33 girls and 63 boys detected as Hepatitis A and B carriers.

The IJT said the blood tests were conducted by Al-Khidmat Foundation and Surraya Azeem Trust Hospital technicians.

The RO-I said that the HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B ailments were blood borne and had nothing to do with the consumption of water.

He said only Hepatitis A was water-borne disease, adding that there were no water tanks but the fresh water was supplied to electric coolers directly from water reservoir, 800 feet down the earth.

He said the university's underground water test results showed it was safe by any quality standards.

In hostels, he said, the university had installed filters, which were being replaced periodically. He also said that university's chief medical officer also examine the water samples from hostels on monthly basis.

Prof Ahmad also said that the university had already made it mandatory to conduct HIV and Hepatitis tests of all students at the time of their admission to university hostels.