Ministry of health to introduce 'Auto Disable Syringes' from next year : Dr Zafar Mirza.

ISLAMABAD -- The special Assistance to Prime minister Imran Khan on Health Dr Zafar Mirza Saturday announced that the federal government has plans to introduce auto-disable syringes from next year for reducing infections and diseases caused by repeated use of syringes.

In his interview with Private news channel, he said the ministry of health would made it mandatory to use auto disable (AD) syringes in all government hospitals and private health centers to avoid further complications for citizens as re-use of an insulin pen needle could increase bacterial growth on the needle and can cause HIV infections among citizens.

'By the end of the first quarter of next year, we hope to completely eliminate disposable syringes in the private sector hospitals and replace them with auto-lock syringes,' he said adding, 'we've had comprehensive talks with relevant stakeholders, including manufacturers and importers.'

He said health ministry also launched an investigating over the recent incident of HIV outbreak in Larkana and they immediately impose a 'ban on use of injections at the clinics' run by General Practitioners (GPs), adding, reuse of syringes is the major cause of spreading the viral disease among children in Larkana.

To put an end to this practice, Dr Mirza said, an injection safety committee and task force had been formed at the national level.

The task force has been working diligently over the past few months and plans to introduce auto-destruct syringes which could only be used once, he added.

Dr Zafar Mirza urged pharmacists to play their role in educating the masses on injection safety as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.

Unsafe injection practices such as the reuse of disposable syringes has been identified as the main cause behind the HIV and the rise in...