ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) informed the National Assembly that 8,074 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids) were reported in the country between January 2016 and June 2017.

In a written reply to a question asked by MNA Suraiya Jatoi, the ministry stated that 503 of the cases were reported from the federal capital, 3,978 from Punjab, 2,521 from Sindh, 881 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 291 from Balochistan.

An official of the ministry of NHS, who was not authorised to speak on record, told Dawn that the number of Aids patients was continuously increasing in the country.

“According to our estimates, there are over 130,000 people afflicted with the disease. The number can even be higher because due to the stigma related to the disease a majority of people do not reveal their infection,” he said.

“International donors have shown concerns over the gap between the registered (19,000) and the actual number of HIV/Aids patients in Pakistan. As a result, the National Aids Programme has involved local community for the registration of the patients.”

The official said a large number of patients tried to hide their disease and hesitate to get themselves registered. Because of the unavailability of authentic data, the government cannot devise a strategy to control the disease or provide treatment to the patients.

He said the ministry had been in contact with the provincial governments to play their role in identifying and registering Aids patients. After the 18th constitutional amendment, the health sector has been devolved to provinces due to which a combined strategy has to be adopted to address such issues, he said.

If a person is confirmed infected with HIV, they face social boycott by society and it becomes impossible for them even to continue working in offices.

“Rapid tests were recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014 and we owned it. Community-based centres have been set up with the help of NGOs to create awareness so that citizens can voluntarily undergo laboratory tests to ascertain if they are infected with HIV or not,” he said.

The official said community centres had been established in Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Malakand, Karachi, Larkana, Turbat and other cities. If a person is confirmed with HIV at a community centre, it is the responsibility of the centre to convince him to get registered and bring him to a government hospital, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017