Fighting HIV/AIDS in Pakistan

While HIV is not a dominant epidemic in the adult population of Pakistan, the government is taking proactive measures to contain the spread of the disease among the country’s 150 million inhabitants. Current estimates indicate that there are at least 80,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Pakistan, and the government —in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations and the private sector—intends to launch an ambitious program to both prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.

With a Global Fund grant of nearly US$5 million over two years, Pakistan will introduce a comprehensive educational program targeting secondary-school students in Karachi and Peshawar to improve their knowledge of HIV transmission and ways to prevent infection. Special programs will be established to teach more than 10,000 street children life skills to prevent and manage HIV/AIDS. In addition, Global Fund support will boost the capacity of private-sector and non-governmental blood banks to screen blood for HIV and hepatitis by training staff and providing test kits.

At present there are no organized healthcare services for people living with HIV/AIDS, and voluntary counseling and testing services are nonexistent. Financing from the Global Fund will establish voluntary counseling and testing services among non-governmental organizations in 16 large urban centers. Also, five referral hospitals will administer antiretroviral treatment and other support to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Initial financing from the Global Fund will help to sustain this wide range of activities by underwriting the development of policies to guide procurement and treatment, the establishment of clinical guidelines for antiretroviral treatment and the recruitment and training of hospital staff and health-care workers for the 16 centers that will offer outreach services.