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

Two young siblings, Mohammed Amin and Asma, fell victim to an HIV outbreak linked to a government hospital in Taunsa, Punjab, Pakistan. Amin, who was eight years old, died shortly after testing positive for the virus. His mother, Sughra, described his suffering: “His fevers were so severe he insisted on sleeping in the rain, and he writhed in pain, like he’d been thrown in hot oil.” Asma, a 10-year-old, also contracted HIV following medical treatment at the same facility, where she and her brother were among 331 children diagnosed with the virus between November 2024 and October 2025.

A private clinic doctor first identified the outbreak in late 2024, linking it to THQ Taunsa Hospital. In response, local authorities promised a “massive crackdown” and suspended the hospital’s medical superintendent in March 2025. However, BBC Eye’s investigation later revealed that unsafe practices persisted. During 32 hours of covert filming in late 2025, the team observed syringes being reused on multiple-dose medicine vials on 10 separate occasions, posing a risk of contamination.

Four instances showed the same vial being administered to different children, raising concerns about viral spread. Dr. Altaf Ahmed, a consultant microbiologist, explained the danger:

“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.”

Despite visible posters promoting safe injection methods, staff—including a physician—were filmed injecting patients without sterile gloves 66 times. Another expert noted that the footage exposed systemic gaps in infection control training across Pakistan.

The hospital’s new medical superintendent, Dr. Qasim Buzdar, dismissed the footage as possibly staged or recorded before his tenure. He claimed his institution was safe for children. Meanwhile, data from the Punjab provincial AIDS screening program, combined with private clinic records and a leaked police dataset, identified 331 HIV-positive children in Taunsa during the period. Of 97 families tested, only four mothers were positive, suggesting most cases were not from mother-to-child transmission.

Outbreaks were traced to “contaminated needle” as the transmission method in over half the cases, including Asma’s. Dr. Gul Qaisrani, a local private clinic physician, reported that nearly all 65–70 HIV-diagnosed children had received treatment at THQ Taunsa. One mother told him her daughter was injected with the same syringe as an HIV-positive cousin, and the tool was reused on several others. A father also claimed he raised concerns about syringe reuse but was ignored by staff.

Despite initial government intervention, THQ Taunsa’s former medical superintendent, Dr. Tayyab Farooq Chandio, was reinstated as a senior officer at a rural health center within three months. Chandio told BBC Eye he took “immediate” action upon learning of the first HIV-positive case, but he denied the hospital’s role in the outbreak. The Punjab government had initially cited 106 cases in March 2025, yet the full tally remained at 331.