Skip to main content

Immediate steps needed to avert full-blown HIV epidemic

Islamabad : Pakistan has an estimated 150,000 people living with HIV. Of these, only 25,000 are registered at the 33 HIV treatment centres across Pakistan. In order to avert a full-blown HIV epidemic, we must take immediate preventive measures, encourage HIV testing and treatment, and address HIV-associated stigma and discrimination.Minister for National Health Services Aamer Mehmood Kiani made this observation while addressing a seminar in connection with World AIDS Day here Thursday. He reiterated the government’s sincerity for increasing access to and uptake of HIV preventive and treatment services by engaging with all stakeholders. “The government also aspires to empower people living with HIV by creating an enabling environment and adopting an integrated multi-sectoral approach to address the socio-economic determinants responsible for the spread of HIV,” he added.The Programme Manager of the National AIDS Programme Dr. Baseer Khan said, the theme of World AIDS Day 2018 ‘Know your status’ is also a reinforcement of the basic human right of enabling every individual to seek basic health services and also knowing his status of health. “We realise that HIV can be prevented and treated so let’s all take that first step towards making Pakistan HIV-free,” he stated.Pakistan still has a chance as it is confronted with a concentrated HIV epidemic that can be addressed through a focused and targeted approach. The speakers hoped that every day becomes an AIDS Day till Pakistan can be liberated of this menace.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2AvXFVG

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pragmatic steps taken to implement Axle Load Control regime on NH&MP

Islamabad: Ministry of Communications has taken pragmatic steps to implement the Axle Load Control regime on Motorways & National Highways in the country. Sole objective of this move is to control travelling of overloaded vehicles which lead to fatal accidents besides damaging the national asset of road network of billions of rupees.Prior to implementation of axle load control regime, a technical committee was formed, consisting of officers from Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority which remained in constant contacts with transport community, Members of the Chambers of Commerce and stakeholders hailing from all the provinces. This technical committee visited their offices and held detailed discussions in series of meetings and took them into confidence to facilitate implementation of Axle Load Control regime. The stakeholders assured of their full cooperation and subsequently, implementation of Axle Load Control was realized which is in progress.It is worth to ...

CJP questions how ‘clarification order’ made it to website

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has raised nine questions in a letter to the Supreme Court’s registrar, seeking clarification on how a Sept 14 clarification order was uploaded to the top court’s website. The Sept 14 order, issued by eight judges led by senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for failing to implement the Supreme Court’s July 12 judgement, which declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats in parliament. In his letter dated Sept 21, the CJP wondered who directed the uploading of the Sept 14 clarification order on the Supreme Court’s website. His inquiry followed a note from the Deputy Registrar (Judicial), who flagged the issue of the order’s appearance on the website. The note questioned how the order was uploaded when no cause list had been issued, no notices had been sent to the parties, and the order had not been received by the deputy registrar’s office until 8pm on the...

UN awards 2 Pakistani female peacekeepers for gender advocacy

The United Nations has awarded two Pakistani female peacekeepers with the Gender Advocacy Award for their “outstanding performance”, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ISPR said the awards were presented to Major Sania Safdar, part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus, and Major Komal Masood, who served in the Central African Republic, “for their outstanding performance and commitment in promoting the ideals of UN”. The accolades were presented by the under-secretary general in the UN’s Department for Peace Operations at its New York headquarters. “While serving in [an] international environment, both officers demonstrated exceptional professionalism [and] dedication,” the ISPR noted. It added that the two peacekeepers “made [a] significant contribution to Mission’s Peace and Stability efforts, especially with regards to advancing women’s meaningful participation in Peacekeeping Operations within the ...