LARKANA: The Sindh United Party (SUP) held the Sindh government responsible for the outbreak of HIV/AIDS in Ratodero and called for putting in place effective and permanent measures to deal with the crisis.

Workers of the SUP and members of civil society on Friday protested and observed a token hunger strike outside the local press club, fearing that if appropriate and timely action was delayed to curb the deadly disease, it would engulf the entire district.

Addressing the protesters, SUP Larkana district president Mehmood Bhutto severely criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government for its ineptness and apathy over spread of the disease.

He said HIV/AIDS had erupted in Ratodero and then spread its tentacles in the whole district as both the rulers and the departments concerned had failed to have a check on illegal operation of unregistered blood banks and pathology laboratories in the district. Such fake health facilities had been the sources of spreading the diseases through unsafe blood transfusions, he added.

The protesters said quacks coupled with the suspected dialysis machines installed at government-run hospitals were also instrumental in spreading the virus. They said diagnosing the patients of HIV/AIDS demanded proper treatment which the people at the helm of affairs were not providing.

They demanded a crackdown against quackery, unauthorised blood banks and laboratories and taking steps required to address this serious health issue as the health department and related authorities had failed to play their role.

A batch of SUP workers observed the token hunger strike on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the blood screening process continued on 18th day on Friday at Taluka Hospital Ratodero where 15 cases were reported as HIV positive out of the 423 screened.

According to the Sindh AIDS Control Programme, blood screening camps were also held at basic health units of Waris Dino Machi, Saeedodero, and rural health centres of Banguldero and Naudero and at a government dispensary at the village of Bosan on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Deputy Comm­is­si­oner Syed Aijaz Ali Shah has directed district health officials and other officers concerned to accelerate pace of campaign against HIV/AIDS by taking practical measures.

Presiding over a meeting at the local circuit house here on Friday regarding precautionary measures against HIV/AIDS, he directed to adopt strategy to make people aware about HIV/AIDS so that they could take precautionary measures for keeping themselves safe from the disease.

He said that it was due to lack of awareness that HIV/AIDS had spread more in rural areas than in urban areas.

He underlined need to educate people particularly in remote areas about HIV/AIDS and also directed to get help from social institutions.

He directed the officers concerned to visit blood banks, general physician and dentists’ clinics to check instruments being used there and warn them not to reuse instruments on patients as those were one of the main cause of spreading HIV/AIDS.

He directed assistant commissioners to start a campaign against quacks as no one could be allowed to play with people’s lives.

All the relevant officials attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2019