BRIDGING THE LEGAL AND MEDICAL RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS AND OTHERS STDS IN PAKISTAN: ASSESSING COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

Abstract

This research paper will discuss the legal and medical reaction of Pakistan to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) against the international health and human rights norms. It also examines national legislation, provincial policies, prevention frameworks, and clinical service delivery to determine the consistency of these systems with international commitments, including the WHO guidelines, UNAIDS goals, and human rights-based principles of universal health. Although Pakistan has designed national strategies, HIV control interventions, and other interventions, there still exist considerable gaps in the implementation, equal access, protection of confidentiality, and rights-asserting strategies towards key populations. Punitive and non-specific legal measures, stigma, sub-optimal monitoring, and lack of preventive measures are not conducive to optimal care and adherence to international best practices. This study suggests that harmonized legislation, better rights-based governance of health, and better integration of medical and legal responses to HIV and STDs could prove to be an effective solution to medical and legal responses in an international context, but face structural, legal, and service-level barriers that need to be overcome.