Centre, provinces should lead plans to control HIV/AIDS: NHS

KARACHI: Instead of NGOs and international donor agencies, the federal health ministry and provincial health departments along with different affected communities should be leading the HIV/AIDS response to prevent the spread of infectious disease and eliminate it by 2030 from Pakistan, officials from the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS, R&C) said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a country dialogue on HIV and AIDS response being held in Karachi, Mustafa Jamal Qazi, national coordinator for Common Management Unit for HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said, “The HIV/AIDS situation is becoming alarming and challenging in Pakistan and it is the right time that the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination along with the provincial health departments and communities to drive the vehicle with the support of NGOs and global partners instead of they being in the driving seat.”

The national consultation meeting to review the HIV/AIDS situation in Pakistan has been organised by the ministry in collaboration with UNAIDS, UNFPA and other partners.Ministry officials said that instead of NGOs and international donor agencies, the federal health ministry and provincial health departments along with different affected communities should be leading the HIV/AIDS response. Mustafa Jamal Qazi noted that the government of Pakistan has allocated over Rs2 billion to prove its commitment while the provinces are also spending huge chunks of money on the prevention and control of HIV in their areas. UNAIDS Country Director of Pakistan and Afghanistan Yuki Takemoto said discussions on the funding request for a Global Fund grant to Pakistan as well as results of the HIV programme review and strategy review during the two-day country dialogue in Karachi would be helpful in the prevention and control of HIV in Pakistan.

International consultants presented the preliminary results of national HIV programme review They highlighted that the needle/syringe programme coverage was very low and no evidence was available on the extent to which drug injectors with other high-risk behaviours were accessing the programme. There was an increase in antiretroviral therapy (ART) for key populations and spouses, partners and children but ART retention was very poor by the members of the key populations.

Separately, the NHS, R&C and international donor agencies urged the Sindh government not to replace the provincial AIDS control programme chief at a time when an application for a funding request for a Global Fund grant was being prepared and submitted.

“We have requested the Sindh government not to replace the additional director, Communicable Disease Control for HIV/AIDS, Dr Ershad Kazmi, at this crucial time when a request for Global Fund’s grant is being prepared and about to be submitted,” Mustafa Jamal Qazi, joint secretary at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination told The News.

Dr Kazmi was reportedly issued a show-cause notice by Sindh Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput over misconduct and officials said his removal or suspension was on the cards due to “departmental politics” and some allegations of his conduct in the past.

But NHS Joint Secretary Mustafa Jamal Qazi, said he had also brought the issue to the notice of Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, who had assured him that Dr Kazmi would continue to perform his responsibilities. Officials from international health and funding agencies in Islamabad were also concerned regarding the possible removal of Dr Kazmi.