PESHAWAR, Oct 13: The NWFP Health Department is establishing the first-ever Prevention of Parents to Child Transmission of HIV/Aids Centre to save newborn babies from the dreaded infection.

“Arrangements for the first PPCT centre are being finalised at the Hayatabad Medical Complex. A six-day training has been scheduled for nurses, lady health workers and women medical officers from October 30,” said an official of the health department.

“This will be the first centre for the female patients of HIV/AIDS in the country, where pregnant women with HIV/Aids would be examined,” he said, adding that the centre was aiming to prevent the transmission of HIV/Aids from parents to children.

He said that women patients would be given symptomatic treatment.

An official said that work had already been started to identify a space for the centre at the HMC.

He said that the centre would be headed by gynaecologist Prof Dr Lubna Hassan, who had also worked as WHO international staffer and had vast experience of tackling HIV/Aids patients.

“We are giving priority to a suitable space near the gynea block at the HMC, because the patients needed to be close to the gynae ward and labour room, etc,” he said.

According to him, the centre which is being launched jointly by the National Aids Control Programme, Provincial Aids Control Programme, WHO and the Unicef, would also provide counselling facilities to female patients of Aids with a view to stem the tide of its transmission.

Stressing the need to provide HIV/AIDS patients with counselling, he said that patients would be educated on sexually-transmitted infections and other measures required to check the spread of Aids.