Hospital at centre of child HIV outbreak caught reusing syringes in undercover filming
Hospital at Centre of Child HIV Outbreak Caught Reusing Syringes in Undercover Filming
HIV Outbreak in Taunsa
In late 2024, a doctor at a local private clinic linked an HIV outbreak to THQ Taunsa Hospital in Punjab, Pakistan. The provincial government later suspended the hospital’s medical superintendent in March 2025, but an undercover investigation revealed unsafe practices persisted well into late 2025. Over 32 hours of filming, staff were observed reusing syringes on shared vials of medication on ten separate occasions, risking viral spread among patients.
Tragic Stories of Two Children
Eight-year-old Mohammed Amin succumbed to HIV shortly after testing positive, with his mother, Sughra, describing his agony as “like he’d been thrown in hot oil.” His sister, Asma, who was ten, also contracted the virus during routine treatment at the same hospital. The siblings’ families believe both infections stemmed from contaminated needles, placing them among 331 children diagnosed with HIV in Taunsa between November 2024 and October 2025.
Unsafe Injection Practices
During the covert footage, staff—including a physician—were seen administering injections without sterile gloves 66 times. A nurse was also captured retrieving used medical waste without proper protection. Dr. Altaf Ahmed, a microbiology consultant, warned that even with new needles, the syringe body could carry the virus, creating a “clear risk of transmission.” Another expert noted that the footage exposed broader gaps in Pakistan’s infection control training.
Questions About Transmission Sources
Of 97 HIV-positive children whose families were tested, only four mothers tested positive, suggesting mother-to-child spread was minimal. The provincial AIDS screening data attributes over half of the 331 cases to “contaminated needle,” though the exact mode is unspecified for others. The hospital’s new superintendent, Dr. Qasim Buzdar, disputed the authenticity of the footage, claiming it could have been staged or recorded before his tenure.
Continued Involvement of Key Figures
Dr. Gul Qaisrani, who first noticed the outbreak, reported that most of the 65–70 children diagnosed had received treatment at THQ Taunsa. One parent recounted a daughter being injected with a syringe used by an HIV-positive cousin, while another claimed a nurse ignored concerns about reuse. Despite these accounts, the hospital’s former superintendent, Dr. Tayyab Farooq Chandio, was later working at a rural health center in Taunsa’s outskirts, insisting the hospital was not responsible for the outbreak.
“Even if they have attached a new needle, the back part, which we call the syringe body, has the virus in it, so it will transfer even with a new needle,” said Dr. Altaf Ahmed.
The BBC Eye investigation underscores ongoing lapses in hygiene protocols at THQ Taunsa, despite earlier promises of a “massive crackdown.” The findings raise urgent questions about how such practices could continue unchecked, leaving families to grapple with the consequences of unsafe medical care.
