Islamabad, April 24 (IANS). The risk of HIV is increasing on a large scale in Pakistan. Health experts at the HIV Center of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMC) have expressed concern over the increasing number of patients.
He stressed that the incidence of HIV among children is of particular concern. Along with this, he has also warned that hiding the disease and not getting tested poses a serious risk. According to local media reports, more cases are being reported among men.
Pakistani media The Express Tribune reported that Zubair Abdullah, program manager of the AIDS Control Programme, said the increase in cases at the PIMS HIV Center was mostly because more people were coming forward for testing. He stressed the urgent need to educate people about ways to prevent HIV and said the increase in testing everywhere is a good thing.
According to data released by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, 189 people have been reported to be HIV-positive since October 2025. 11 new cases were reported in the first 20 days of April. Men outnumbered women, cases were also reported among transgender people, while HIV detection among children remains a matter of concern, the report said.
Last week, a new investigative report revealed serious negligence in the children’s ward of a government hospital in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
It was reported in the report that in 2025, Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) located in Taunsa was linked to the spread of HIV among children. At that time, the provincial authorities had assured action and in March 2025, the medical superintendent of the hospital was also suspended.
However, a BBC investigation a few months later revealed that children’s safety was still at risk. The BBC investigation found repeated and serious breaches of basic infection control. Video footage showed nurses injecting patients through their clothes, returning dirty syringes for reuse, and unskilled staff injecting child after child with vials of liquid medicine soiled with blood.
A press release from the British broadcaster said: “The BBC’s undercover document reveals even bigger problems. Staff are handling medical waste without following safety standards, syringes and needles are lying loose and unqualified volunteers are working without any supervision. Staff shortages and supply problems are contributing to this situation. In some cases, families are being asked to buy their own medicines. Under pressure, staff equipment Reuse or share medications among patients to maintain short supplies.”
According to the BBC, at least 331 children in Taunsa tested positive for HIV between November 2024 and October 2025. Of those whose parents agreed to be tested, perhaps one in 20 tested positive for HIV. Even after the government announced in March last year that action would be initiated, the infection continued.
Despite video footage, hospital officials refused to accept such negligence. Current Medical Superintendent Dr Qasim Buzdar has said that the footage may have been recorded before his time or may have been fake.
–IANS
KK/ABM
