LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid has ordered HIV/AIDS screening of all prisoners in 41 prisons of the province.

The directions were passed at a meeting regarding the eradication of HIV/AIDS in the wake of reports of spread of the menace in Faisalabad and adjoining districts.

Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Momin Agha, Primary & Secondary Healthcare Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, IG Prisons Shahid Saleem, Special Secretary Mudassar Waheed, Health Services Director General Haroon Jahangir and others attended the meeting.

Dr Rashid said rehabilitation centres should be established in all prisons and the inmates tested positive for HIV/AIDS and TB must be kept in separate barracks.

She also directed early filling of vacancies of doctors in all prison hospitals and seeking services of psychologists for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis patients.

She said that a task force on drug addiction must be set up, besides launching a comprehensive awareness campaign in all educational institutions against addiction.

The meeting was told that the Punjab Healthcare Commission had so far taken action against more than 50,000 quacks and that registered HIV/AIDS patients were being given free medicines and treatment at 18 centres of the Punjab AIDS Control Programme (PACP).

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2019