THE recent outbreak of HIV linked to Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital has been attributed to unsafe healthcare practices. It is a sobering reminder of how quickly failures in basic infection-control standards can devastate a community, especially its children. One route that also deserves greater public attention is blood transfusion. Unlike sexual transmission, transfusion of infected blood is one of the most common means of transmitting HIV, with the risk of infection exceeding 90 per cent if contaminated blood is transfused. Fortunately, this risk is almost eliminated when every donated unit is properly screened using the relevant laboratory methods.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that although most high-income countries have universal blood screening and advanced testing systems, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) still face gaps in testing quality, laboratory standards and external quality assessment. Pakistan must ensure that every blood bank, in both the public and private sectors, meets the designated standards.
Patients and their families have the right to know that the blood they receive has been screened in accordance with national and international guidelines. This is especially important for children with thalassemia, women with obstetric emergencies, trauma victims and cancer patients who depend on repeated blood transfusions.
The question is not whether blood transfusions can be safe; they certainly can be. The question is whether every blood transfusion in Pakistan is screened to the same standard of quality and oversight. Although published data from a handful of blood banks indicates a low prevalence of HIV among blood donors, Pakistan lacks comprehensive national reporting from its network of more than 600 blood banks, making transparent surveillance essential to ensure safe blood for every patient.
A national review of blood transfusion services is needed, with greater trans-parency in screening, laboratory stan- dards and regulatory oversight. Safe blood is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
Dr Uzma Shamsi
Karachi
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2026
