PESHAWAR, Aug 28: A woman, who contracted HIV infection from her husband, is running a public awareness campaign besides pushing for better treatment facilities.

Amina Bibi, whose husband died of AIDS last year, said that she had taken it upon herself to remove the social stigma associated with the disease.

"I will contact people with HIV or AIDS to form an association and launch a joint struggle to force the government to make appropriate drugs available, at least in the government- run hospitals", the 35-year-old woman said.

Data compiled by the National AIDS Control Programme showed that it had detected 2,141 such cases since 1990, of which 1,897 people were 'HIV positive' and 244 persons had AIDS.

"Real figures may be staggering. Most people fear just being tested for HIV out of fear for being publicly disgraced," said Dr Quaid Saeed of the World Health Organisation.

A five-year programme costing Rs2.26 billion had been launched in 2003 to reduce the incidence of disease through unscreened blood, sex workers and syringe reuse. Despite several recommendations made during the programme, no province has a functional HIV and AIDS clinic. Hospitals are ill-prepared and do not have proper treatment facilities, said Dr Saeed.

Amina Bibi, who is from Parachinar, some 270 kilometres west of Peshawar, contracted HIV from her husband who had been deported from the United Arab Emirates because of his HIV infection three years ago. He did not disclose anything in this regard and transmitted the disease to her.

Amina Bibi stressed the need for changing the people's attitude towards patients with HIV. She urged the government to open treatment centres at government hospitals.

Because of the stigma attached with sexually-transmitted diseases, patients avoid visiting hospitals, fearing a public disclosure about their condition, said Dr Muzaffar Tareen.

"The situation is alarming. Drivers, sex workers, homosexuals no longer constitute a vulnerable group. We have patients who have never strayed but have been diagnosed 'HIV positive' while seeking treatment for some other disease," said Dr Tareen.

"It is a depressing situation but I feel it is my responsibility to lead and at least give hope to the people living with the disease," said Amina Bibi.

Prof Fazle Raziq, a haematologist who heads the pathology section at the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, said that most HIV positive patients were migrant workers deported from the Middle East, with some of them staying away from home for as long as 15 to 20 years.

Prof Raziq called for setting up screening facilities at airports in Pakistan.