LAHORE: A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital to investigate allegations of medical negligence after a patient reportedly underwent surgery without mandatory HIV screening and later tested positive for the virus.

The incident has triggered concern among healthcare staff over possible exposure and lapses in infection-control protocols.

According to an order issued by the hospital’s medical superintendent, a four-member inquiry committee will investigate the incident and submit its findings within two days.

Dr Riwad Noor, a member of the inquiry committee and in-charge of infectious diseases, told Dawn that they would conduct the inquiry on Friday and submit the report on Saturday.

He said the situation was under control and that preventive measures had been taken to disinfect all surgical instruments.

Hospital sources said the surgery was performed on Tuesday, May 19, in the hospital’s operating theatre. A junior doctor had reportedly flagged during pre-operative file verification that the patient’s HIV screening report was missing. However, the objection was allegedly not addressed, and the procedure went ahead.

Ward in-charge Dr Masood Hiraj told Dawn that he became aware of the issue on Wednesday morning and immediately informed the medical superintendent as well as the in-charge of infectious diseases to ensure urgent preventive measures.

He claimed that the operating theatre and all surgical instruments were, however, cleaned early on Wednesday morning at around 8:30am.

Dr Hiraj further clarified that the patient had previously undergone two surgeries at the facility, during which HIV screening was conducted and the results had been negative.

However, he said that during the most recent procedure, junior staff proceeded without the required screening report. The patient was later confirmed to be HIV-positive, triggering alarm among hospital staff.

Meanwhile, a Nishtar Hospital spokesperson said that disinfection of equipment in all operating theatres was carried out on time in accordance with standard protocols.

He added that initial investigations revealed that the HIV-positive patient was the last to undergo surgery in the relevant operating theatre.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the patient’s HIV test conducted at Nishtar Hospital was positive.

Under standard operating procedures (SOPs), such a case is treated as a suspected HIV case, the spokesperson said, adding that the patient’s samples had been sent to Lahore for PCR testing to further confirm the diagnosis.

Medical experts stress that strict adherence to pre-surgical screening and universal infection-control protocols is essential to protect healthcare workers and patients.

They caution that bypassing such procedures can pose serious occupational health risks and raise ethical concerns.

In November 2024, a kidney-failure patient died while 30 others contracted HIV/AIDs infections during dialysis treatment at the same hospital.

The largest public sector hospital in south Punjab came into the limelight over allegations of gross negligence when patients were reportedly placed on dialysis machines reserved for HIV-positive patients.