HIV/AIDS referral laboratories in provinces soon, says Nasir
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Health Muhammad Nasir Khan on Tuesday said the government will establish HIV/AIDS referral laboratories in the provinces for surveillance and monitoring of the epidemic.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of National HIV/AIDS Referral Laboratory established at National Institute for Health (NIH) ChakShahzad, the minister said these laboratories will provide free quality diagnosis facilities for HIV/AIDs and other related transmitted infections. The newly established National HIV/AIDS Referral Laboratory is associated with the International HIV/AIDS Referral Laboratory, Ottawa, Canada for external quality assurance.
This state-of-the-art laboratory constructed with estimated cost of $. 3 million will have facility of 100 tests daily. UNFPA and CIDA provided the financial and technical support for the establishment of this laboratory. The minister said this laboratory is the first of its kind in the country in providing surveillance and quality assurance of the laboratory diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and other related sexually transmitted infections.
He said the establishment of this national laboratory was critical to the implementation of the current response to combat HIV/AIDS in the country. He said as providers of essential services, this laboratory will offer resources required for evidence based public health policy development.
He said it will forge critical partnerships that draw together public health laboratories within a country and create a national programme based approach to HIV prevention, control and treatment. The minister said the laboratory will have the ability to serve as a first line of defence in the rapid recognition and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
He said the referral laboratory will serve as the backbone for surveillance and monitoring of the epidemic in the country and to provide data for macro analysis so as to design and implement interventions which are the need of the hour. This will have positive effects on our Millennium Development goals and decrease the maternal morbidity and mortality associated with reproductive tract infections and STIs and indirectly help to reduce infant mortality rates, the minister said.
He said the government has adopted concrete measures for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the country. He said the commitment of government is obvious from the fact that 85% of the budget for the HIV/AIDS prevention and Control Programme is provided by the government out of its own resources. Nasir Khan said media role is vital in creating awareness among masses regarding HIV/AIDS, adding, a comprehensive advocacy campaign is running to inform people about this hazardous disease.
He said the epidemic remains extremely dynamic, growing and changing characters as the virus exploits new opportunities for transmission. He said responding effectively to HIV/AIDS requires coordinated efforts across all the sector. To stand any chance of effectively responding to the epidemic we have to treat it as both emergency and long-term development issue, the minister said.
He said among many other interventions envisaged under the current response, establishment of National HIV/AIDS Reference Services Laboratory at NIH will serve as a hub for all HIV/AIDS related laboratory support. He commended the support of Dr. France Donnay and her team of UNFPA in the establishment of this laboratory and technical efforts contributed by Dr. Rana Muzaffar and her team at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant.