KARACHI: Following the screening of 2,000 people near a Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI)-run hospital in Landhi, which has so far identified 10 HIV-positive cases, a committee has been formed to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to ascertain the exact number and nature of HIV cases within seven days, it emerged on Monday.

According to a notification, the committee led by Dr Naila Zaheer comprises Dr Rizwana Ashraf, Dr Rashid Hassan Alvi, Dr Tanveer Kadir Khanzada and Muhammad Tahir.

The committee’s terms of reference (ToRs) include investigation of cases and verification of all laboratory reports.

The committee is tasked to “examine all epidemiological linkages among reported cases and investigate possible sources of infection, including review of injection practices and use of disposable syringes/needles”.

Govt asks committee to find possible sources of infection in Landhi hospital, fix responsibility within seven days

It would inquire into the procurement availability of medicines and disposable items and assess biomedical waste management, standard operating procedures and infection prevention and control implementation, according to the notification.

The committee is required to prepare data of the affected children and their parents, if any, furnish a detailed report with findings and specific recommendations and fix responsibility at the individual and/or institutional level within seven days.

Source said the development had come in response to reports of a dozen HIV cases, including cases of at least seven children, reported at SESSI’s Landhi hospital.

They also said that one case pertained to an 80-year-old female patient who reported at the hospital with a heart disease and tested positive for HIV during screening.

The patient, the sources said, had a dental procedure at an area clinic a few months back.

A day earlier, SESSI Commission Hadi Bakhsh Kalhoro had said that HIV screening was currently being carried out at all hospitals operating under the institution, with particular focus on outpatients, admitted patients and children.

He revealed that screening of 2,000 people in and around the Landhi hospital had so far identified 10 HIV-positive cases. Meanwhile, at and around Valika hospital, 120 children and adults had been confirmed HIV-positive out of the 10,000 individuals screened to date.

PTI calls for health emergency, province-wide screening

Expressing concern over the growing number of HIV infections among children, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has demanded immediate intervention to prevent further spread of the disease.

In a statement, PTI-Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh alleged that the growing numbers reflected the provincial government’s failure to effectively manage the healthcare sector over the past several years. He said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure safe and quality healthcare for the public, but poor administrative oversight, unsafe injection practices, weak infection-control mechanisms and inadequate regulatory monitoring had put the lives of innocent safe and quality healthcare for the public, but poor administrative oversight, unsafe injection practices, weak infection-control mechanisms and inadequate regulatory monitoring had put the lives of innocent children at risk.

He urged the authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and address deficiencies in the healthcare system on an emergency basis.

He asked the Sindh government to declare a public health emergency, initiate transparent action against those found responsible and launch an immediate province-wide screening programme for children.

He further demanded the mandatory implementation of safe injection practices, effective infection-control measures, and strict monitoring of all public and private hospitals, clinics and laboratories to help prevent further infections.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2026