World is observing ‘World HIV/AIDS Day’ on 1December, but the HIV/AIDS Treatment & Care Centre, Larkana, lacks many essential facilities. This centre was inaugurated in June 2006 but despite passage of nine years it still awaits proper treatment facilities.
The promised facility of Viral Load has not yet been provided to this centre where as many as 1,013 HIV/AIDS positive patients have been registered till to-date and as many as 25 patients are being referred to Karachi for viral load test monthly.
Dr. Muhammad Younis Chachar, Provincial Program Manager, HIV/AIDS, Karachi, had promised a few weeks ago in deputy commissioner’s meeting here that viral load facility will be provided but in vain.
The required staff is also not available which includes male nurse, female counsellor, attendants & store keeper. Two rooms are also required for HIV Rapid, Elisa & CD-4 tests and medicines storage. New computer, with three stabilizers and scanner are also required urgently and all tests such as X-Ray, Ultrasound and CT scan must also be made free in the province.
Due to non-availability of essential facilities poor patients are suffering for no fault of theirs at all due to which many of them discontinue treatment. Out of 1,013, 824 are males, 173 females and 16 children. 583 cases are on HAART, 46 have defaulted and 77 have so far expired out of which 35 are males, 10 females and one child. 143 cases are on INH, 31 on anti-kock from beginning and three are suffering from MDR as well.
According to age group, out of these 1,013 patients, 536 are between 18-30 years, 271 between 31-40, 120 between 41-50, 28 between 51-60, 10 between 61-70, 32 below 18 and 16 are children. Larkana district still tops the list with 554 positive patients followed by Kambar-Shahdadkot having 156, Shikarpur 24, Khairpur Mirs 83, Jacobabad 18, Kashmore 12,, Sukkur 38, Ghotki 10, Dadu 77, Jamshoro 7, Naushehro Feroze 14, , Kalat 6, Jafferabad 11 and Nasirabad 1. Karachi’s two patients are also registered here.
As many as 250 patients’ lab rapid test is conducted here monthly with 25 patients of Elisa and 36 on CD-4 which shows the rush of the patients at this centre which is considered to be having the largest number of positive cases in Sindh after Karachi. Sources further disclosed that ten cases have been referred to Karachi for confirmation who were detected positive here.
