Families of HIV infected children of Ratodero, Larkana start receiving funds

KARACHI: Families of over 1,200 children infected with HIV in Ratodero, Larkana, have finally started receiving financial support through a billion-rupee endowment fund, established by the Sindh government in 2019, for the rehabilitation and welfare of patients and their families, provincial Sindh health department officials said on Wednesday.

“As many as 997 families of children infected with HIV in Ratodero and some other areas of Larkana were provided Rs3.373848 million for the first time as financial support from an endowment fund. This is the amount from the profit or interest on Rs250 million deposited in the endowment fund by the provincial government,” Dr. Irshad Kazmi, Deputy Director General, Infectious Diseases Sindh, told The News. The Deputy DG, Infectious Diseases, maintained that now the Sindh government has also deposited the remaining Rs750 million in the endowment fund, so the next quarterly installment would be around Rs15,000 which would be paid to each affected family.

He said besides the recipients, around 212 families were also eligible for the support fund but as many of them did not have CNICs or some other documents, their bank accounts could not be opened. Kazmi added efforts were underway to provide the amount to these families as early as possible. Pakistan witnessed the largest-ever HIV outbreak among children in Ratodero, Larkana, in 2019 when over 1,000 children under 15 years were found infected with the disease.

A team of infectious diseases experts and epidemiologists blamed "unsafe practices of blood transfusion", "re-use of injection needles and syringes", "mother to child transmission" as possible drivers of the outbreak.

Afterwards, PPP leaders announced to establish Rs1 billion endowment fund for the welfare and rehabilitation of children and their families, who had to wait for over two years to get their first installment finally in June this year.

“After assuming the charge of head of infectious diseases section, I managed to get the remaining Rs750 million transferred to the endowment fund by the Sindh government. Now the interest of Rs1 billion would be equally distributed among families of over 1,210 children and adults infected with HIV in Ratodero and other areas of Larkana on quarterly basis."