Sindh takes lead in launching oral medicine program for HIV

Health experts say PrEP reduces risk of HIV by more than 90 percent

Sindh has become the first province of Pakistan that has started the oral medicine program for HIV.

The oral medication program, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is basically used to help high-risk populations avoid HIV infections.

Talking about the PrEP program, health experts have said that the risk of HIV infections could be reduced to 90 percent by taking the oral medicine called PrEP.

Sindh Health Department Director General Dr. Jumman Bahoto, while addressing the participants said that the government would hold trainings of concerned staff to assure effective PrEP services.

He said that the Sindh Health Department was able to complete and implement the task of curing the population from the menace of HIV with the support of the provincial government.

According to Dr. Jumman, almost ten years ago, the first evidence of the efficacy of PrEP was published.

The launch of the program was attended by Yuki Takemoto (UNAIDS country director Pakistan and Afghanistan); Dr Irshad Kazmi (additional director CDC Sindh); Heather Doyle (program manager for the HIV Global Fund grant UNDP), Dr. Rajwal Khan (Strategic Information Adviser), Fahmida Khan (UNAIDS Pakistan and Afghanistan), Dr. Sara Salman (WHO’s representative to Pakistan), along with other officials.