FAISALABAD: As many as 10 employees of the deputy commissioner’s office have been suspected of being HIV positive and around two dozen others are found suffering from hepatitis B and C.

A Punjab AIDS Control Programme (PACP) official attributes high incidence of HIV cases in Faisalabad to a large number of intravenous (IV) drugs users. He says government is planning to increase the number of PACP centres in Punjab.

In June last, it was found that the number of HIV-positive persons was increasing at an alarming rate in five districts of Punjab – Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sahiwal, Jhang and Nankana – and more than 2,800 such patients from these areas were registered with the PACP for free medicines.

The HIV positive suspects working in the DC office were detected during a recent screening of 146 employees conducted by the E-med, an entity comprising government and private doctors, at a camp set up there on Monday.

These suspects have been asked to get their PCR tests conducted for conformation or rejection.

Doctors said following the news about some 3,000 HIV/AIDS patients registered with the PACP, Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had claimed elaborate measures were in place to tackle the situation.

Screening of Faisalabad DC office staff shows 10 suspected AIDS cases, two dozen hepatitis B and C positive

They said surfacing of suspected HIV cases among DC office employees showed the gravity of the situation and inefficacy of government measures to tackle it.

They said because of financial constraints aggravated by the recent price-hike a majority of the HIV/AIDS patients avoided being screened as they could not afford treatment expenses. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Faisalabad chapter secretary Dr Muhammad Irfan, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at the Allied Hospital, said because of weak laws, quacks were playing havoc with people’s health by spreading hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

Dr Irfan said it was duty of the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) to sternly deal with quacks and the government should enact laws to increase the punishment for quackery.

He said sensing the surge in hepatitis B and C cases in Faisalabad, the E-med, in collaboration with the Liver Centre would start screening of 10,000 barbers and the data would be shared with the government.

He said the screening would not only detect hepatitis and HIV patients, but also help government in taking measures to check the spread of diseases.

He suggested that people must take their own shaving kits to barber shop and salons to avoid catching hepatitis and HIV viruses. He said one must consult qualified doctors and avoid injections.

Dr Irfan also stressed the need for screening of drug addicts and prostitutes as they were among high-risk groups.

He said the PMA would also approach the PHC demanding a special crackdown on the quacks in Faisalabad.

Currently, 16 PACP centres are operative in different districts and the number would be increased to 36 in future, an official said.

DC Mohammad Ali said all his office employees were entitled to free medical treatment and health authority would facilitate them in this regard.

PHC in a statement denied having any role in disease prevention and said it had been continuously working towards the elimination of quackery, and its “efforts were bearing fruit”.

It said the spread of disease could not be attributed to just one cause.

The statement said so far in Faisalabad only, the PHC enforcement teams sealed 3,775 outlets of quacks in raids on 5,875 treatment centres. Also, over 1,700 backstreet treatment centres had been converted into other businesses because of the PHC working, it added.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2020