ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The government has so far spent Rs698.4 million under the Public Sector Development Programme on the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS since 1994, the National Assembly was told on Friday.

Parliamentary secretary for health Raheela Yahya Munawar, speaking on behalf of the health minister, said the treatment of patients had now been included in the PC-I of the AIDS treatment programme being developed for the year 2003-04 to 2007-08.

She said the WHO, Unicef, and UNAIDS were supporting the programme for the prevention and control of AIDS in the country by providing technical assistance in training, research and capacity building. The donor funds have so far been limited to technical assistance only.

The government has also established provincial implementation units (PIUs). Such units were also set up in AJK and FANA, and managers nominated for provincial blood transfusion services. Screening of blood before transfusion for AIDS and hepatitis-B viruses has been initiated, besides health education campaign have also been started through electronic media. In addition to this, 45 surveillance centres have been set up in different parts of the country, and diagnostic kits and laboratory consumables/equipment provided to all provincial governments, AJK, FANA and federal AIDS control centres.