RATODERO: CCTV cameras have been installed at the ART Treatment Center here to keep a vigilant eye over the staff who are alleged to be leaking data of positive cases to the media persons, PPI learnt here on Monday.

Social Welfare activists including Shafiqur Rahman, Yar Muhammad Chandio and others told reporters that installing CCTV cameras inside and outside the HIV ART Center is very much against the established guidelines of the WHO for which courts can also be approached for seeking remedy.

They said that on the one hand HIA/AIDS bosses in Sindh and elsewhere are propagating not to disclose the identity of the positive cases for prevention of stigma and on the other hand they themselves are installing CCTV cameras and exposing the positive cases. They demanded a thorough probe into the installation of the cameras and fixing the responsibility.

ART Center Incharge Dr Shahida Memon said that the health department has installed CCTV cameras. When asked who will be responsible if the positive cases are made public with CCTV footage she did not reply.

Dr Ershad Kazmi, Additional Director General, Infectious Disease, Sindh, claimed that CCTV cameras have been installed on the complaints of the HIV positive women. He said that women complainants alleged that male staff are asking them unnecessary questions. He said CCTV cameras have also been installed to check and improve working of the male and female staff.

It must be mentioned here that the Sindh Government had previously decided to inform media persons regularly about the emerging positive cases in Ratodero but ever since the posting of Dr Kazmi statistics of positive cases are constantly and forcibly hidden for face saving and showing the government that all is well.

When Dr Imran Akbar Arbani was contacted he said that HIV cases are constantly emerging and the facilities are declining. He said two positive cases surfaced today (Monday). Dr Arbani who broke the outbreak of HIV in Ratodero at the very outset said seven members of a Bunguldero family have been detected positive in the last week. He said two days before four members of another family were found positive.

Dr Imran Arbani further disclosed that vertical cases were emerging before but now retrograde cases are also detected as well which is rare in the world. He said that presently the number of positive cases is 1968 and 80% among them are children.