ISLAMABAD: Dr Arif Alvi and Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fighting the spread of AIDS through the provision of testing and treatment services to disease victims.
The president said the disease could be prevented and treated with meaningful engagement with vulnerable communities.
In his message on World AIDS Day, he said Pakistan was committed to providing quality healthcare services indiscriminately with the aim to build a stronger society and healthier society.
“We also rededicate ourselves to further strengthen the HIV response at the national and provincial levels, support data-driven solutions, expand access to testing and treatment, ensure economic empowerment of the vulnerable section of society, and fight the stigma and discrimination attached to HIV diseases and its victims,” he said.
President Alvi emphasised that by joining hands together with partners like UNAIDS, NGOs, and the private sector, new ways could be explored to address HIV and AIDS.
He urged all stakeholders to thoroughly create awareness and provide counseling to the vulnerable segments to prevent the disease altogether and to diagnose it at an early stage to save precious lives.
He prayed for those who lost their lives to AIDS and expressed solidarity and support to the bereaved family members.
“On this day, we also reaffirm our support and provide assurances to the victims of AIDS that we will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders at all levels with the aim to halt new infections, treat those who are suffering from it with care and passion, without stigmatizing them, and to wipe out AIDS from our country as many other countries have done successfully,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the Ministry of National Health Services to focus on raising awareness about the disease through testing, prevention, and treatment to effectively fight it.
The prime minister, in a tweet, expressed concern over the increasing cases of HIV and AIDS, terming the statistics “deeply worrying”.
Sharif also emphasized removing the taboos attached to AIDS to ensure its elimination. “On World Aids Day today, let us all vow to end the stigma attached to HIV,” he said.
