Govt jobs for people living with HIV/AIDS sought

KARACHI: Sindh HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Programme Manager Dr Nafis Sohail Monday recommended provision of jobs for people living with HIV or AIDS in government departments. In her presentation at a media workshop held at the press club, she said there was a need to encourage people with HIV to be registered with the programme. Once they gain confidence about their acceptance without having their dignity compromised, we may hope to evolve a strategy for zero HIV/AIDS prevalence, she said. Elaborating her stance, she said there was presently a wide gap between the reported cases of HIV that comes to 46,200 against the 3,000 that are actually registered in Sindh.

As for AIDS cases, she said 288 patients were being provided anti retro viral treatment at the centres run by the Sindh HIV/AIDS Control Programme. Recent studies have established that there is more than five percent HIV prevalence among high risk groups as intravenous drug users and transgender people, enhancing chances of virus transmission among the general population, she said.