Daily Times

LARKANA: An industrial worker in Karachi died due to AIDS in emergency ward of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana on Monday.

Since fighting for his survival in Karachi, a young labourer Ahmed Ali, resident of Allahababad Muhalla Larkana, returned from Karachi and admitted in the emergency ward of CMC Hospital Larkana, where he took his last breath on Monday.

The mother of deceased informed that her son Ahmed Ali was a labourer in Karachi factory, where he fell prey due to his last stage of AIDS adding that six month back, he was diagnosed as positive HIV/AIDS.

Sources said that Sindh AIDS Control Programme completely failed to control growing HIV/AIDs cases in the province particularly Larkana, where 99 AIDS patients have lost their lives. It is learnt that six more new diagnostic and treatment centres for HIV/AIDS have been set up in different cities of Sindh including Hyderabad, Benazirabad, Sukkur, Mirpur Khass, Sanghar and Karachi.

Sources further said that over 70 blood laboratories are functioning without any registration in Larkana, while hundreds in different districts of the province. They are not following the policies of national programme regarding the prevention of HIV/AIDS during blood transfusions, sources added.

An official Dr Hola Ram disclosed that 1170 HIV/AIDS suffering among 927 male, 198 female, 16 children and 29 eunuchs are registered only in Larkana. Sindh AIDS Control Programme provincial Programme Manager Dr Younis Chachar had disclosed about positive cases of HIV/AIDS in Sindh growing unabated. Despite of hectic efforts due to unawareness and lack of education, 80,000 suspected HIV/AIDS patients are in Sindh.

According to data, 0.1 million population of Pakistan is affected with HIV/AIDS, which is an alarming situation and posing threat to rest of the population.