ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: Federal Minister for Health Mohammad Nasir Khan has said the government is committed to combating HIV/AIDS in the country.

The minister said this in a meeting with the special envoy of the UN secretary general on HIV/AIDS in Asia Dr Nafis Sadiq here on Wednesday.

The minister said the government wanted to continue cooperation with concerned UN agencies like UNFPA and WHO. He also assured Dr Nafis of the government’s commitment to keep the population growth rate at a sustainable level.

Dr Nafis Sadiq said although currently Pakistan was not a high prevalence country for the HIV/AIDS disease but there should be no complacency about it. She said in order to prevent a difficult situation in the coming decades, politicians, community leaders, educators, parents and youth must be mobilized.

The minister briefed Dr Nafis about National AIDS Control Programme to curb HIV infections. He said an ordinance had been promulgated on safe blood transfusion.

The minister said the government had the basic health infrastructure but there was a need to bring facilities to the poor people. He said steps were being taken to equip basic health units and rural health centres with modern equipment to facilitate people.

Later, talking to the French ambassador, Yanick Gerard, the health minister said the government was aiming its efforts to provide decent healthcare to poor people.

He said Pakistan and France should work together in the pharmaceutical industry. He informed the ambassador that French pharmaceutical industry was making significant contribution to the country’s health sector.

The ambassador said education and health were important sectors and should be priority areas in their bilateral cooperation. He said the French government was providing loan of 20 million Euros for water treatment in Islamabad.

France, current president of G-8 countries, will do its utmost for the progress of developing countries, he said, adding apart from re-scheduling Pakistan’s loan, the French government would also put in efforts for improvement in its health sector. — APP