Sindh High Court Orders Report on Karachi Hospital HIV Outbreak

KARACHI — The Sindh High Court (SHC) has requested a comprehensive report from the provincial health secretary and the police chief following a petition alleging an HIV outbreak linked to reused, contaminated syringes and medical negligence at a Karachi hospital.

The petition was submitted by Tariq Mansoor and was considered by a two‑member SHC bench consisting of Justices Adnanul Karim Memon and Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry.

The court’s written directive, seen by Dawnthe bench noted that the plea arose from “the reported HIV outbreak at Kulsum Bai Valika SESSI Hospital, SITE, Karachi, allegedly caused by the reuse of contaminated syringes and gross medical negligence, leading to infections among roughly 84 to more than 200 children, several of whom succumbed”.

The order further observed that the medical facility was a “public hospital functioning under the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and was “responsible for providing medical facilities to insured workers and their dependents”.

The petitioner asserted that “despite repeated media reports about the HIV outbreak, no transparent, independent or time‑bound investigation has been carried out to assign accountability to the officials and medical staff implicated”, according to the order.

It added that the petitioner had served a “issued a legal notice to the relevant authorities demanding an independent inquiry, registration of criminal proceedings, disclosure of the inquiry report, screening and treatment of affected children, and compensation for the victims”.

However, “no effective action has been taken apart from a communication” by the provincial secretary of the Labour and Human Resources Department that sought a report from SESSI.

The order said the petitioner had informed the court that a “preliminary list of children allegedly affected by HIV as a result of the reported reuse of contaminated syringes” at Kalsum Bai Valika SESSI Hospital had been placed on record along with their particulars.

The petitioner claimed that the number of affected children actually exceeds 200.

He contended that the reuse of contaminated syringes drew international attention, including a BBC report on a government hospital in Punjab’s Taunsa.

The hearing was adjourned until 11:30 a.m. on July 20.

The petition was filed as a Public Interest Litigation seeking enforcement of fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 4, 9, 10‑A, 14, 19‑4, 25, 37 and 38 of the Constitution.

The petitioner argued that the alleged reuse of disposable syringes represented a “blatant violation of the Sindh Regulation and Control of Disposable Syringes Act 2010, constituting also criminal negligence punishable under the Pakistan Penal Code” (PPC).

“The continued failure of the respondents to enforce statutory provisions regulating disposable syringes has jeopardized public health and violated the constitutional guarantee of the right to life and human dignity”, the order quoted the petitioner as saying.

“It is argued that the respondents have failed to meet their statutory and constitutional duties by not conducting an independent inquiry, not filing criminal cases against those responsible, not ensuring comprehensive screening and treatment of affected patients, and not drafting the rules envisioned under”. the 2010 Act, the order added.

The petitioner urged the court to conduct an independent and transparent inquiry, register criminal proceedings against all responsible parties, and ensure lifelong medical treatment and suitable compensation for the affected children.

He also pressed the court to ensure that the provisions of the 2010 Sindh Regulation and Control of Disposable Syringes Act are applied throughout the province and that the necessary rules are drafted under the Act.

More to follow

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