Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered the provincial government to establish Commission for prevention, control, care, support and treatment of HIV and AIDS and directed it to produce the notification in the court on September 17, 2019.
The division bench of the SHC comprised of Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Faisal Agha issued these orders in a petition pertaining to implementation of Sindh HIV and AIDS Control Treatment and Protection Act, 2013.
The petition was filed by various individuals and organizations War Against Rape, Pakistan Association for Mental Health Pakistan Institute of Labour, Education & Research etc.
The petition submitted that under Section 3 of this act it is responsibility of the Sindh Government to implement and enforce this act with certain powers given under the same section 4, which further provided that the government shall within fifteen days from the promulgation of the act by notification and establish a Commission for prevention, control, care, support and treatment of HIV and AIDS in the province of Sindh.
The petitioners' counsel argued that despite promulgation of the law in 2013 no commission has been made so far to effectually implement the Act. In the previous hearing, the court directed Additional Advocate General Sindh to submit the comments and intimate the court as to when the commission will be constituted by seeking submit the data with regard to HIV and AIDS patients in Sindh that can be collected by him from Health Department.
In today's hearing, Health Department Sindh furnished a report, which disclosed that the summary has been submitted with Chief Minister Sindh for the constitution of the commission.
Health Department officials sought some more time for establishing the commission, at which the petitioner's counsel remarked that despite passage of more than six years, the department is still seeking the time.
Health Department officials sought two month, however the court granted two weeks time to the department to issue the notification for establishing the commission.
The health department report also revealed that nine centers are functioning of treatment of AIDS in the province. Registered number of AIDS patients in Sindh is 12071 whereas conservative estimates suggest that there are more than 65000 AIDS patient in the province.
As many as 5444 adults and 311 children diagnosed with HIV are under treatment in Civil Hospital Karachi and 300 such patients are being treated in Lyari hospital.
Meanwhile, a division bench issued notices Chairman NEPRA, Secretary Water & Power, Chief Secretary Sindh, IGP Sindh and others in a petition against K-electric, which has been held responsible for death of several persons due to electrocution during the heavy downpour in the current month. The court put off the hearing of the petition, filed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) by issuing directing the respondents to submit their replies.
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