SHC tells health dept to form commission to control HIV/AIDs, treat patients

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the health department to constitute a commission for the prevention and control of HIV and AIDs as well as for the care, support and treatment of patients in the province.

The direction came during a hearing of a petition of Dr Kausar Saeed Khan and others seeking implementation of the Sindh HIV and AIDs Control Treatment and Protection Act 2013. The health department submitted that as many as 12,071 patients had been registered for HIV treatment centres in different district hospitals of the province.

The petitioners have filed a petition with regard to providing healthcare and medical facilities to the citizens. They stated that hundreds of people living in remote areas were not being provided health facilities despite having been found infected with HIV in the Larkana district.

They submitted that the Sindh HIV and AIDS Control Treatment and Protection Act, 2013 was enacted by the provincial assembly but it was not being implemented in letter and spirit. They added that the Sindh government had to establish a commission for the prevention and control of the disease, and care, support and treatment of patients in the province, but no commission had been made so far to effectively implement the act.

They said the government should be directed to implement the relevant law and provide medical treatment to the patients, and also to take measures to prevent the spread of HIV in the population.

They sought a issuance of a direction to the government to take steps for providing proper medical facilities to the patients and implementing the law.

Filing a compliance report, Secretary Health Saeed Ahmed Awan submitted that as many as 12,071 patients registered for HIV treatment centres in Sindh. Regarding the constitution of a commission for the treatment of patients, the additional secretary health said that out of 15 members, two had refused to join and the commission could therefore not be constituted.

He undertook before the court that the two members would be replaced by fresh members and the commission would be constituted.

A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the additional secretary health to submit a notification for constituting the commission at the next date of hearing, which was fixed on September 17.