It’s surprising how Pakistan’s healthcare system works. Now, cases of HIV infection have been reported in a government hospital in Karachi city. Officials say the number of cases has increased rapidly in recent weeks. Sindh Labor Minister Saeed Ghani said earlier this week that more than 10,500 people had been tested, including people associated with Kulsoom Bai Wali Hospital (which is run by the Sindh Employees Social Security Organization) and people from the surrounding community. Of these, 120 people were found positive. Children of Sindh province have been affected by this infection.
According to Al Jazeera, another screening drive was conducted at another center run by the same organization in Landhi area, which revealed 10 more cases. The organization is an autonomous body that provides healthcare, medical facilities and financial assistance to industrial and commercial workers – and their dependents – across Sindh. The hospital crisis first came to public attention in November 2025, when residents of Karachi’s SITE Town noticed a cluster of infections among children being treated there. The situation began in October 2025, when the Health Department detected six HIV cases. Meanwhile, on July 3, the Shehbaz Sharif government ordered a ban on low-quality syringes. Additionally, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal announced that HIV testing would be made mandatory before any surgery across the country.
What has the Sindh Chief Minister said on this matter?
On July 14, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that two internal investigations had found serious shortcomings. These include poor adherence to infection-control protocols, inadequate use of protective equipment and misuse of single-use syringes. Sixteen HIV-positive children were identified in November last year. Additionally, a report submitted to the provincial ombudsman on June 19 confirmed 78 cases of infection and six deaths. Some hospital staff have been held responsible for administrative and supervisory failures in this case.
The number of cases has increased since then, and new infections have been confirmed at the SESSI Centre. Minister Ghani said that all cases that occurred before October 2025 are related to transmission. Screening will continue regardless of the possibility of more cases emerging. On July 3, show cause notices were issued to 37 doctors and hospital staff and they were given 14 days to respond. Ghani said that legal action would be taken against those responsible and they would be fired from their jobs. Furthermore, Ghani himself indirectly accepted responsibility and said that he would not mind resigning if it would help resolve the crisis.
What was said about the petition filed in Sindh High Court?
Earlier, a petition was filed in the Sindh High Court alleging that the infection spread due to re-use of syringes. Speaking to reporters on July 4, Ghani denied this and said that the infection does not spread through reusing syringes; Instead, the KBV hospital uses auto-disable syringes, which cannot be reused. In the petition filed in the court, it was also alleged that the actual number of victims was being hidden.
Meanwhile, WHO and UNAIDS have described the crisis in Pakistan as one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region, with a 200 percent increase in cases in 15 years. An estimated 350,000 people are living with HIV in Pakistan; About 80 percent of them are not aware of their condition, and only 38 percent of affected children are receiving treatment. The Sindh High Court has now directed the provincial government to respond to the petition by July 20.
