A report by The New York Times stated called out the sad state of affairsof Pakistan’s healthcare system, particularly in Sindh, and cited theoutbreak of HIV in Rato Dero in 2019 during which hundreds of children hadtested positive.
The report highlighted that “In Pakistan, HIV numbers have long beentrending in the wrong direction. The most recent data indicates that only21 percent of those infected with HIV in Pakistan are aware of theirstatus”.——————————
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The report quoted UNAIDS and detailed that there are almost 190,000HIV-positive people in Pakistan but only 12 percent of them are able toreceive treatment, which has led to a 385 percent increase in HIV-relateddeaths since 2010. In comparison, there has been a 45 percent decline inthe deaths from the disease in Sub-Saharan Africa during the same period.
According to the report, the reason for the resurgence of HIV in Pakistanis mostly related to money and the lack of consistent and equitablespending by the government on health.
The report further highlighted that Pakistan is only one of the world’s tworemaining countries that have not been able to eradicate polio, and alsobears a heavy burden from tuberculosis (TB) which is partly because beingHIV-positive increases susceptibility to TB.——————————
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On 30 November 2019, 1,132 children in Rato Dero had tested positive forHIV, and the number is higher now, having been increased by the coronaviruspandemic.
Mishal Khan, a policy analyst at the London School of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine who studies the Pakistani health system, said that she does notwant “everything to be about COVID-19, because it’s not like the otherissues will go away.”
“They’ll just get neglected,” she added.
The report brought to light the sufferings of the common man in Pakistanwhen a tragedy like HIV strikes an entire family and the healthcare systemalso fails under strain.
