KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed alarm over reports of outbreaks of HIV linked to government-run healthcare facilities and demanded a judicial inquiry into cases of medical “criminal negligence”.
In a statement, the association stated that a hospital setting must be a sanctuary of healing, not a source of chronic infection. The diagnosis of hospital-acquired HIV cases among vulnerable populations including children and the elderly was a national tragedy, it stated.
It said: “When a preventable, blood-borne virus like HIV is transmitted or goes unchecked within a controlled clinical environment, it is not merely a technical oversight, it represents an intolerable failure of administrative oversight, infection control, and basic medical ethics.
“The transmission of HIV in a hospital setting non-sterile injection practices, unsterilised dental or surgical instruments, or compromised blood screening protocols constitutes severe criminal negligence. It cannot be brushed aside as a minor administrative lapse.”
The association stressed that departmental inquiries and internal committees were insufficient to restore public confidence and demanded an independent, high-level judicial inquiry led by a sitting judge to uncover the systemic failures, audit procurement processes, and inspect clinical practices across all municipal health centers. “Those responsible for compromising sterilisation standards, procuring substandard disposable equipment, or ignoring mandatory infection control guidelines must be identified, stripped of authority, and subjected to the full extent of the law.”
The association demanded immediate, unannounced inspections of all local government and SESSI-run hospitals to verify compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
“Strict verification that only single-use, auto-disable syringes and certified sterile disposable products are supplied and utilized. Provision of free, lifetime antiretroviral treatment, counseling, and financial compensation for affected individuals and their families,” it said.
Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026
