Sixteen more HIV cases were detected on Saturday in Ratodero. So far, 574 HIV cases have been detected and 84% of them are children. The affected persons told reporters that they were not being provided any treatment. “We arrive at daybreak in Larkana and wait till midday in this hot weather for medicines. All those who had come here and made huge promises should now provide us medicines. We cannot afford to buy anything from the market. We are poor people and cannot afford to buy expensive medicines,” they said.
Members of the Ratodero Bachayo Tehreek and civil society took out a large rally on Saturday. They marched on the main thoroughfares and then reached the main bus stand, where they staged a sit-in for three hours due to which all kinds of traffic came to a standstill. People from all walks of life participated in the protest. Himath Jalbani, Akbar Arbani, Anees Junejo, Mukhi Ashok Kumar, Abdullah Bhutto, Noor Korai, Essa Bozdar and others while addressing the participants alleged that Ratodero was in the grip of HIV, but the rulers were busy in photo-sessions. “They have not done anything practical so far,” they said.
They demanded the establishment of a HIV/AIDS treatment centre in Ratodero so that the affected people could be able to obtain drugs in their own hometown instead of having to travel to Larkana. They further demanded exemplary punishment for Dr Muzaffar Ghangro who had destroyed over 500 families.