Islamabad, March 8 (Alliance News): Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health that under the National AIDS Program, an estimated $300 to $500 is spent annually per patient, with currently 84,000 people receiving HIV treatment.
The meeting, chaired by Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, reviewed regulatory and policy issues in the health sector.
Committee members noted gaps in the ministry’s report, including missing HIV data from Balochistan, progress reports on 31 patients declared HIV positive at Nishtar Hospital, and incomplete information on 669 cases out of 5,000 reported in Sargodha’s Kot Momin district in 2018-19.
While 350,000 HIV cases have been reported from Sindh and Punjab—accounting for about 75 percent of the total—20,000 new cases were reported in 2019-20, and 9,700 cases in the first nine months of 2024. Minister Kamal explained that the increase in testing centers from 24 to 127 has improved screening and detection nationwide.
The committee was briefed on ongoing awareness campaigns and screening initiatives, with further details on program implementation, funding to NGOs, and monitoring systems to be shared in the next meeting. Minister Kamal also discussed specific incidents, including 70 children diagnosed with HIV in Karachi due to unsafe syringes, and measures taken to screen deported individuals for medical reasons.
On the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Ordinance, Kamal described ongoing challenges with the council, including allegations of fake degrees among some members from Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan, prompting committee members to call for an investigation.
The ministry’s budget was also reviewed; Kamal noted that prior allocations of Rs 21 billion were reduced to Rs 14 billion, with new schemes worth Rs 3 billion recently approved.
Performance and monitoring issues of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority were also discussed, highlighting delays and incomplete reporting.
