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PESHAWAR, Jan 26: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has asked officials concerned to provide diagnostic kits for HIV, Hepatitis B and C to blood banks of public sector hospitals by the next month.
Speaking at a meeting of the project steering committee of the provincial Aids Control Program here on Friday, the minister also issued directives to devise a proper mechanism that could ensure unhindered supply of kits to the blood banks.
According to a press release, the provincial manager of the Aids Control Program, Dr Mohammad Zaffar, briefed the participants about steps being taken to control the disease and also shed light on future plans to combat the disease effectively.
The meeting took several decisions to make the PC-1 of the project more comprehensive apart from approving enhancement of funds for procurement of HIV, HBV and HCV to Rs260 million in the revised PC-I.
Inclusion of services package for prevention of HIV/Aids in the inmates of prisons of the province was also approved.
The meeting also decided the initiation of awareness and prevention services to drug addicts in the high risk areas of Mingora, Mardan, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, D. I. Khan, Charsadda and Abbottabad.
Extension of awareness and prevention services to high-risk groups in various areas of the province was also approved.
The package for the support and care for people living with HIV/Aids and prevention of parent transmission of HIV to child was also sanctioned by the committee.
The committee approved establishing VCT and STI centres at divisional headquarters of the province.
The meeting also decided preparation of awareness and prevention packages for miners and brick kiln workers and street children.
The committee directed the authorities to provide small grants to NGOs working for prevention of Aids.
The committee decided to schedule awareness activities in the Middle East to control spread of Aids among migrant workers there.
The meeting also pinpointed the need of chalking out a separate package for creating awareness in barbers regarding HIV/Aids.
The health minister directed authorities of the Aids Control Program to ensure involvement of religious scholars in prevention of HIV/Aids and hepatitis at the district level.
He also directed for expediting activities for the sensitisation of people about HIV/Aids and rectification of the PC-I of the project.
WORKSHOP: Doctors at a workshop held here on Friday were advised to take into account the cultural environment when treating patients suffering from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The workshop was organised jointly by the UNHCR and Association for Community Development (ACD) to train general medical practitioners about diagnosis, treatment and management of patients suffering from STIs.
Dr Muzaffar Iqbal Tareen, a clinical sexologist at the Hayatabad Medical Complex, said that most of the people avoided visiting doctors for STI treatment owing to social taboos.
Doctors working with Pakistan and Afghan NGOs attended the workshop.
Dr Tareen said breakdown of cultural practises, religious beliefs, poverty and ignorance had contributed to the rising number of STIs.
“Apart from social support and treatment, the doctors should refer patients to consultants for further diagnosis,” he said.
He said: “The STIs could cause impotency, urinary tract infections, prostate problems among male and infertility and depression in women because initially the patients resort to self-medication or visit Hakims, homeopaths and quacks.”
