Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal has announced the plan to expand the network of ART Centers for HIV screening and treatment from the current ninety-eight to one hundred and sixty in one year.

He made the announcement while addressing a news conference in Islamabad today.

The Minister also clarified that there is no HIV outbreak in Taunsa or Islamabad. He explained that the incident recently reported in Taunsa occurred in 2024, and appropriate measures were taken at that time in coordination with the provincial government to avoid its recurrence.

As regards Islamabad, Mustafa Kamal said there are six hundred and eighteen registered HIV cases in the federal capital territory. Of these, two hundred and ten are from the Islamabad, while the remaining four hundred and eight are from other regions.

He further noted that the prevalence of HIV in Pakistan is 0.1 percent, compared to 0.5 percent globally, emphasizing that the country’s ratio remains very low in comparison with the world.

He mentioned that the provincial governments have their respective programs to curb the HIV.

The Minister for National Health Services said the federal government has carried out reforms in the health sector over the last one year. He said efforts are afoot to bring improvement in the health sector.