Serious lapses in the health system have been revealed amid a sharp rise in HIV/AIDS cases among children in Pakistan, raising alarm among public health experts and policymakers.
Speaking at a press conference, former Federal Minister for Health Zafar Mirza termed the situation “deeply alarming” and said recent reports, including an international documentary highlighting cases from Taunsa, exposed disturbing evidence of infection among children.
He stated that around 60 to 70 children were diagnosed with HIV in Taunsa Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, where, according to reports, multiple children were allegedly administered injections using the same syringe. He described the situation as a case of “criminal medical negligence.”
Dr Zafar Mirza said the issue should not be linked to any single government, calling it a collective failure of Pakistan’s health system. He noted that children aged 2 to 5, whose parents were not infected, had tested positive, indicating unsafe medical practices such as reuse of syringes as a major transmission route.
He further warned that the problem is not limited to Punjab, as similar cases have been reported in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Citing alarming statistics, he said nearly 100 children tested HIV positive in a Karachi hospital, while 618 new cases were reported in Islamabad over a 15-month period. At Indus Hospital Karachi, 10 children were diagnosed in 2024, while 25 more cases have been recorded this year.
Referring to World Health Organization data, he said Pakistan has the fastest-growing HIV spread rate in Asia. He also highlighted that around 70 percent of blood transfusions in the country are not properly screened, contributing to the spread of infections.
Dr Mirza added that Pakistan has an estimated 10 million hepatitis C patients the highest in the world largely due to unsafe injections and poor blood screening practices. He said the health sector has never been a national priority, and current figures indicate the risk of a major epidemic.
He urged healthcare professionals to strictly follow medical protocols and called on the public to adopt precautionary measures. He also demanded the public release of the inquiry report on the Taunsa incident.
On the occasion, Dr Rana Jawad Asghar said that the most common question from parents of affected children is whether their child will survive. He recalled that in 2008–09, around 150 HIV cases were reported in Jalalpur Jattan, warning that such outbreaks could spread further if unchecked.
He added that no hospital in the country has a dedicated HIV department, highlighting systemic gaps in healthcare response.
President of a private health association, Dr Asghar Satti, stressed that affected individuals must be included in decision-making processes. He said HIV should be seen as a failure of the health system rather than a matter of moral judgment.
During the press briefing, HIV-positive patient Neer Majid shared her experience of living with the stigma for over 30 years, saying she continues to face social discrimination despite long-term treatment. She also described instances where doctors refused treatment due to HIV status.
Dr Zafar Mirza further estimated that around 370,000 people are currently living with HIV in Pakistan, but only 21 percent are aware of their status. He added that 84 percent of patients are not receiving treatment, while only 16 percent have access to medical care.