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ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday directed health officials to ensure mandatory HIV screening before all surgical procedures involving skin piercing or incisions across Pakistan, aiming to curb healthcare-associated transmission of the virus.
Mr Kamal issued the directive while chairing a meeting of the Joint Working Group on HIV/AIDS at the ministry. The minister instructed health authorities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan to formalise and issue the necessary notifications to enforce pre-surgical HIV screening.
Health minister calls for special attention to children living with virus
Officials noted that Sindh, Punjab, and the Islamabad Capital Territory have already implemented HIV screening prior to surgical procedures involving skin piercing. The health minister emphasised the critical need to establish a uniform standard across all regions of the country.
