HIV and AIDS has become a universal problem and a great challenge for Pakistan as there are more than one hundred thousand people living with HIV & AIDS in Pakistan and especially after interruptions in funding for the said field its intensity and severity as a challenge has heightened especially after recent devolution. This was stated by Dr. Qamar Abbas, Deputy Program Manager, Sindh AIDS Control Program as the chief guest addressing a large gathering of People Living with HIV & AIDS, their families and friends who were commemorating International AIDS Day recently in Karachi.
He further added that in the aftermath of devolution the provinces must be carrying even greater responsibilities in combating with this lethal disease caused by the deadly virus. He further reiterated his relentless commitment on behalf of Sindh AIDS Control Program to fight against this challenge till the complete eradication of HIV and AIDS from the country.
Dr. Saleem Azam, president of an NGO called Pakistan Society According to UNAIDS estimates, the number of People Living with HIV & AIDS (PLHA) in Pakistan is 97,400 i.e. approximately one hundred thousand, out of which about half live in Sindh; 80% of them are in Karachi. In other words Karachi alone has a population of 40,000 People Living with HIV & AIDS. One can easily have an idea about the grave and alarming situation of AIDS in Sindh by considering the fact that the prevalence of HIV among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) increased from 0.4% in January, 2004 to 24% in 2005, and in 2007 it reached upto 30%. The situation of HIV & AIDS in Hyderabad, the second largest city of Sindh, is not in any way less horrible where the prevalence of HIV among IDUs has gone up from 25.8% in 2005 to 30.3% in 2008.
Prevalence among IDUs in Pakistan has reached 20.8% while transgenders, male sex workers and female sex workers the HIV prevalence has reached 6.1%, 0.9% and 0.91% respectively. In 2003, in Larkana, the hometown of Shaheed Bhutto, an epidemic of this deadly virus broke out among IDUs that alarmed about this danger not only Pakistan but also the whole world. At that time the prevalence of HIV among IDUs in Larkana was 12% that, according to HASP survey, reached to the level of 16.5% in 2006 and 28.5% in 2008. In Larkana, too, the prevalence of HIV among transgenders had reached to 27.6%. It is pertinent to mention here that in four big cities of Sindh, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana, the number of IDUs has gone over 25,000. According to a very recent study, although the HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Pakistan is 0.91%, in Karachi 2% of the FSW have been found infected with HIV.”
He stated that in spite of the best efforts by all the major stakeholders including Federal and Provincial governments, civil society and UN system only 7,500 PLHA out of 97,400 i.e. merely 7% could be identified and registered by National AIDS Control Program. He added that 4,325 PLHA have been registered by Sindh AIDS Control Program while 2,755 by Punjab AIDS Control Program. Quoting another study Dr. Azam said that in Punjab 15% of the spouses / female partners of IDU have been found HIV positive. He further revealed that estimated bridging population of clients of sex workers and spouses of Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) has reached 5 million. Dr. Azam pointed out that Global AIDS response continues to show results as record number of people access treatment and rates of new HIV infections fall by nearly 25% but in Pakistan we have been able to reach only 7% of the estimated 97,400 PLHA. He alarmed that since 2010 international resources for HIV have greatly declined and warned that if we do not invest now, we will have to pay several times more in the future.
Dr. Azam further added that the issue of HIV & AIDS has become even a greater challenge especially after devolution. He said although he fully supports provincial autonomy but as a matter of fact some provinces may not be possessing adequate capability to mobilize donors and implement HIV prevention programs as effectively as they were being under the umbrella of NACP which was evenly and effectively doing so with an added advantage of having valuable experience of many years in the field.
Earlier, a two-day workshop organized by Pakistan Society in collaboration with Naya Qadam Project on Reducing Stigma and Discrimination against HIV & AIDS, concluded on the same day. The resource persons included Mr. Rehan Ahmed, Project Manager, Naya Qadam Project, Dr. Maria Atif, public health consultant of Pakistan Society and Project Coordinator, Naya Qadam Project and Dr. Saleem Azam, senior development consultant and President, Pakistan Society. The workshop was largely participated by the representatives of Ujala Welfare Organization, a CBO of IDUs, Pak Positive Welfare Organization, a CBO of People Living with HIV & AIDS, Sindh Moorat Welfare Organization, a CBO of transgenders, Gender and Reproductive Health Alliance and representatives for transgenders, Government of Sindh.
On the occasion the participants who shared their feedback on the workshop included Mr. Raisuddin, Mr. Saeeduddin, Ms. Sara Gill (representative of TGs) Ms. Babo Ali (representative of TGs), Ms. Sapna (representative of TGs), Mr. Sikandar Ali Chan, and Mr. Muhammad Iqbal. Most of them expressed their satisfaction on the workshop and found it very useful and helpful for them.