‘Quacks should be sent behind bars for life for infecting children with HIV’

Karachi: Sindh Health Secretary Saeed Awan Friday said that quacks should be put behind bars for rest of their lives as their malpractices are resulting in HIV infection to children as 121 more children were tested positive for the lethal viral disease during last two days in Ratodero town of Larkana.

“As many as 66 persons were tested for HIV on Thursday while today (Friday), 55 more children have been found infected with lethal viral infection in Ratodero area of Larkana” Saeed Awan said while talking to The News during his visit to Taluka Hospital Ratodero, Larkana on Friday.

Around 337 persons including 270 children have been found infected with HIV during last 13 days, an outbreak which experts are blaming to reuse of syringes by the quacks as majority of children were neither infected by their mothers nor they had received blood transfusion in the entire lives.

Saeed Awan adds reuse of syringes by the quacks as well as qualified medical practitioners had emerged as the most plausible cause of HIV infection among the children and called for sending such criminals and the bars for rest of their lives.

Program manager of Sindh AIDS control programme Dr Sikander Memon side sofa 337 people including 270 children have been found infected with HIV since April 25, 2019. He informed that they have so far screened 7500 people during last 13 days in Ratodero area but Jane that reports of other such outbreaks in other parts of Sindh not true.

“Sindh healthcare commission as closed down 71 clinics that was being run by quacks in Larkana alone but existing rules does not permit us to punish them with rigorous rigorous imprisonment”, Secretary Health Sindh deplored.

On the other hand 55 more persons mostly children were found infected with HIV on Friday as people from far flung areas of district Larkana got their children to taluka hospital Ratodero for screening where atom of provincial national and international experts is screening children for HIV AIDS since April 25 2019.

Dr Ramesh Lal, the medical superintendent of government hospital in Ratodero claim that in order to save just rupees 5 quacks infecting people with HIV by using disposable syringe on many patients.

“In this part of the country people don’t pay rupees 100 even to a qualified doctor, if he or she does not give an injection to a child or an adult” said Dr Ramesh Lal and urged authorities not to follow quacks to play with lives of children anymore.

Dr Fatima Mir, an expert from Aga Khan University who has been tasked to investigate the recent outbreak also suspected that reuse of syringes by the quacks baby the most probable cause of HIV infections among children in Ratodero area of Larkana.