By Dr.Abdul Razak Shaikh,
The Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs.1 billion endowment fund for the welfare of HIV/AIDS infected persons in the province and also constituted a six-member committee to manage the fund.
The chief minister along with Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had visited taluka Ratodero Hospital a few weeks ago where a large number of HIV cases have been diagnosed. The Chief Minister said that it was an unfortunate situation, especially for minor children who would have a lifelong disease that required proper continuous treatment and also required opportunities for rehabilitation.
He said that in order to resolve the problem the provincial government on the advice of the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has decided to establish an Endowment fund with an allocation of Rs1 billion for 2019-20.
Presently the total cases of HIV positive are 851 at Ratodero and worst is that 241 Children are waiting for Medicine, which is scheduled to reach in Pakistan at the end of June from Ethiopia, where the surplus amount of Medicine available under WHO.
The Endowment fund would be managed by a six-member committee headed by Minister health while its members would be a local MPA/MNA of Larkana division to be nominated by the chief minister, a representative of the Finance department having experience of investment management, an expert of infectious disease, a philanthropist/social worker (operating in that area) and additional secretary (Technical) Health department.
The terms of references of the committee are to bring initiatives and schemes for the welfare of HIV/AIDS infected persons, to roll-out different measures for the rehabilitation, long term welfare and financial well-being of the HIV/AIDS infected persons and their families and to take measures for improving awareness of this contagious disease in general and particularly amongst high-risk groups.
The committee would also, subsidize any measures that are useful in the prevention of this disease like subsidizing the cost of disposal syringes, contraceptive products and any other the measure of direct prevention. But it is not in the mandate in the committee to procure/distribute medicines for the cure of this disease or to develop any physical infrastructure scheme for the prevention and cure of HIV/AIDS.
More children were tested positive for HIV in Ratodero area of Larkana on daily basis and the number of HIV positive reached 851 since April 25, 2019, while 146 adults including men and women have also been tested positive for the sexually-transmitted and blood-borne disease. Presently 312 children getting treatment out of 553 and still, 241 are waiting for Medicine due to Shortage.
A consignment of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ARV) medicines, donated by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia for the treatment of children infected with HIV in Ratodero area of Larkana would be handed over to the Sindh health department by the end of this month as informed by the World Health Organization (WHO) officials in Pakistan last week.
Similarly, an order for the procurement of 50,000 Rapid Diagnostic Kits to continue the screening of a large number of people in Larkana and adjoining areas has also been placed by the WHO and the consignment would be available by mid of July this year, WHO officials informed Sindh health department.
The ENDOWMENT FUND committee will gradually invest the funds until these are utilized. The committee shall also be responsible for the formation of the investment policy of the funds and keep a record of the policy as well as of the investments and expenditures made. The profits earned by the endowment fund shall be utilized or re-invested until utilized in accordance with the objectives. While entire profit for a particular year or accumulated profits of previous years can be utilized in endowment fund shall be utilized in a single year.
The committee will work in close coordination with the `Rehabilitation Committee for HIV infected persons in Larkana Division’ already notified by the government. Similarly, the committee may co-opt any person in order to seek guidance and strengthen the activities of the Endowment Fund. Any other responsibility may be given to the committee by the chief minister, Sindh.
An endowment fund is to be named `Investment Fund for Rehabilitation and Welfare of HIV/AIDS infected persons in Sindh’.
The chief minister has delegated the management of investments of the fund to the finance the department, wherein officials of the Finance Department shall exercise signing authority in respect of the management of such investment.
However, expenditures from this fund shall be made only under the authorization of the committee for which the office of Secretary Health will have a separate bank account in which the finance department will remit the funds, as per requisition of the health department.
The chief minister said that his government was committed to rehabilitating the affected patients, particularly the children and it would be stopped from further spread.
But transparent use needed for these funds that free from the corruption and must reach to the proper people. This support will increase the moral support of poor people and appreciation will go definitely for PPP government in Sindh.
Ratodero hospital needs proper ward, with well-equipped laboratory having full fledge Pathologist and Doctors for proper look after the HIV patients.
