Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday said the country has now 9,708 detected HIV patients where 6,075 patients are undergoing treatment.

He said this while responding to query raised by treasury bench lawmaker Didarul Alam of Chattogram-4 at the question-answer session which was tabled at the Jatiya Sangsad with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Of the initiatives, he said now country’s 11 public hospitals are providing drugs to the HIV patients at a free of cost, free of cost HIV diagnosis is allowed at 23 public hospitals and HIV prevention services are being provided among vulnerable people from 134 drop-in centers comprising private and public, reports Daily Sun.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul