PESHAWAR, May 19: The NWFP Enhanced HIV/Aids Control Programme is launching a campaign to raise awareness of officials of the police force, railways, Wapda, PIA and social security departments about preventive measures against the fatal disease. Official sources told Dawn that at the first stage training of police officials of the Police Training Academy Hangu would begin next week. They said that selected departments have their own hospitals and health professionals but they do not have training of safe blood transfusion and knowledge of safe sex due to which the pandemic had been on the rise in this part of the country.

“According to the last quarterly report, the number of HIV/Aids patients has risen from 442 to 449,” said the sources, adding that sale of blood by professional donors had declined due to the awareness campaign.

They said that a two-day training on blood transfusion, safe sex, anti-retroviral therapy (ARV), case assessment and management and gender issues would be imparted to officials of these departments.

The programme has been deemed necessary because these officials deal with people coming and going abroad and there was a need to raise the level of the awareness among these officials regarding the dreaded diseases.

Most of the patients are now getting blood donated by their relatives. They said that the fourth meeting of the Blood Transfusion Authority (BTA) would be held next week. In the meeting, to be presided over by the director-general health services, necessary steps would be taken to regulate functioning of blood banks operating both in public and private sector.

They said the BTA had set a deadline of June 10 for registration of blood banks after which action would be initiated against those found indulging in irregularities. “In this connection a draft law has been sent to the law department for vetting”, they added.

The provincial HIV/Aids Control Programme has already accomplished the task of training pathologists and haematologists at the district headquarters hospitals of the province. After completion of the training of the officials of the target-departments, provincial legislators would also be given training on the causative and preventive measures against HIV/Aids next month.

Meanwhile, provincial deputy manager of the programme, Dr Bilal Ahmad, told this correspondent that they had launched a website of the programme, where people could have access to the information regarding HIV/Aids.

The site www.pacp.nwfp.com offers information on different aspects of the programme, including number of patients, organisational matters and messages aiming at spreading awareness among people. Information regarding country’s scenario on HIV/Aids have also been posted to facilitate the people and health professionals, he added.

“NWFP has taken the lead because no other province has launched its website so far”, he added.

According to him, the government has approved purchase of equipment, drugs and diagnostic kits for the first ARV unit at the Hayatabad Medical Complex. The unit would become fully functional after return of a doctor and a nurse who at present are in India in connection with their two-month training on diagnosis, treatment and management of HIV/Aids patients.