PAKISTAN has investigated too many HIV outbreaks over the past decade to still be surprised by the causes. The latest findings linked to Karachi’s Valika Hospital are only the newest indication that the country’s healthcare system continues to fall short on one of its most basic obligations: keeping patients safe. More than 10,500 people living around the hospital have now been screened, with 120 testing positive for HIV, while official inquiries have confirmed 78 infected children and six deaths. The Sindh government’s decision to continue screening, provide treatment at public expense and set up a long-term fund for affected children is welcome. But these steps respond to the consequences rather than the cause. The findings reveal many failures, including poor adherence to infection-control protocols, improper handling of single-use medical equipment, weak supervision and shortages of essential supplies. Infectious disease specialists have also cautioned that similar lapses have been detected beyond one hospital, including in some private clinics. The problem is not simply what happened at Valika Hospital, but what it says about the wider state of infection control in Pakistan.

None of this is new. The 2019 Ratodero outbreak, in which hundreds of children contracted HIV, also exposed unsafe injection practices, poor sterilisation, weak oversight and inadequate regulation. Yet years later, many of the same shortcomings continue to surface. Pakistan cannot afford to keep investigating preventable outbreaks while failing to eliminate their causes. Those found responsible at Valika Hospital should face transparent departmental and, where warranted, criminal proceedings. More importantly, the government must immediately conduct independent infection-control audits of public and private healthcare facilities, backed by regular unannounced inspections and meaningful penalties for violations. Safe injection practices, proper biomedical waste disposal and adequate supplies of single-use equipment must be enforced without exception. Mandatory infection-control training for healthcare workers, competency assessments, stronger surveillance systems capable of detecting unusual infection clusters early, and tougher regulation of clinics and laboratories should be national priorities. Public awareness campaigns should also encourage HIV testing while combating the stigma that often discourages people from seeking treatment. Patients should never have to fear that a visit to a hospital or clinic could expose them to a lifelong, entirely preventable disease.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026