Syringe reuse, over 300 children test HIV-positive at Pakistan hospital: Undercover filming exposes big lapses
A covert investigation that involved filming has reportedly uncovered alarming breaches of medical safety at a government hospital in Pakistan, where unsafe injection practices may have exposed several children to life-threatening infections, including HIV.
The footage, recorded over 32 hours inside THQ Hospital Taunsa, shows repeated breaches of basic hygiene standards, according to BBC, that led the investigation.
The compiled data drawing on provincial screening programmes, private clinics and leaked police records, identified at least 331 children in Taunsa who tested HIV-positive between November 2024 and October 2025.
Data analysis further suggests that most infections were unlikely to be passed from mother to child.
Of 97 families tested, only four mothers were HIV-positive. Mohammed and Asma’s mother tested negative, strengthening concerns that unsafe medical practices were a key factor in the outbreak.
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What is happening at the hospital?
Healthcare workers were seen using the same syringes on multiple patients and drawing medication from shared multi-dose vials before administering it to different children, significantly increasing the risk of contamination, the BBC report stated.
At the centre of the crisis is eight-year-old Mohammed Amin, who died shortly after testing HIV-positive.
His mother said his final days were marked by severe fever and intense pain.
Soon after his diagnosis, his sister Asma also tested positive. Their family believes both children may have contracted the virus through unsafe injections during routine treatment at the hospital, the report added.
Contaminated needles main source of infection
The outbreak first drew attention in late 2024, when local physician Dr Gul Qaisrani noticed an unusual rise in HIV cases among children visiting his clinic.
He said nearly all of the 65 to 70 affected children had previously received treatment at THQ Taunsa. In more than half of the cases, contaminated needles were identified as the most likely source of infection, the report stated.
When the footage was presented to the hospital’s newly appointed medical superintendent, Dr Qasim Buzdar, he declined to accept its authenticity, suggesting it may have been filmed before his tenure or potentially fabricated, while maintaining that the facility remains safe for children.
In one instance, a nurse was seen picking up a used syringe containing leftover liquid and passing it to a colleague for reuse, an act experts say breaches fundamental safety protocols.
The footage also shows staff administering injections without gloves, leaving used needles exposed on surfaces, and failing to properly dispose of medical waste. Parents reported witnessing syringes being reused across patients, highlighting broader systemic failures.