Health experts have warned of a rapidly growing HIV situation in Pakistan, attributing much of the spread to systemic weaknesses in healthcare practice and governance. At a National Press Club briefing, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza joined epidemiologists and public health advocates to stress that the current trajectory of the HIV Pakistan crisis requires immediate, coordinated action.
Speakers highlighted recent clusters of transmission in places such as Taunsa and Karachi as evidence of preventable lapses in infection prevention. Epidemiologists including Dr. Quaid Saeed and Dr. Rana Jawad Asghar pointed to documented incidents of unsafe medical practices, reports of syringe reuse in some settings and gaps in blood screening that have widened risk beyond traditionally defined high‑risk groups.
Delegates at the briefing shared figures that underline the scale of the challenge: an estimated 370,000 people are living with HIV in Pakistan, yet only about 21 percent know their status and roughly 16 percent are on treatment. Experts also warned that around 1,800 children may become infected each year, recalling the large childhood outbreak in Ratodero in 2019 as a stark example of how failures in infection control can devastate communities.
Panelists noted Pakistan’s long-standing hepatitis C burden of approximately 10 million people as further evidence of systemic infection control problems across the health system. They raised concerns about the proportion of blood transfusions that may not undergo comprehensive infectious disease screening and urged tighter oversight of blood banks and transfusion services to prevent additional transmission of HIV and hepatitis.
Governance and funding gaps were underscored as central obstacles to an effective response. Since 2003 Pakistan has received about $1.1 billion from the Global Fund for HIV, TB and malaria, but a June 2025 Office of the Inspector General report cited weaknesses in programme management and implementation. The report also highlighted frequent leadership turnover within the national HIV programme and limited domestic financing, factors experts said have undermined continuity, accountability and scale of services.
Voices from the patient community amplified the human toll of these system failures. Survivor Nayab Majeed described stigma, barriers to care and the daily realities facing people living with HIV, urging greater awareness, patient support and rights‑based access to treatment. Experts called for concrete reforms including strengthened infection control protocols, strict regulation and monitoring of blood banks, broader use of single‑use or safety‑engineered syringes, and transparent tracking of funds to ensure effective programme delivery.
Speakers warned that without swift policy action, improved governance and robust safeguards across medical settings, Pakistan risks further growth of the HIV Pakistan crisis and increasing overlap with other infectious disease burdens. They urged federal and provincial authorities, health professionals and donors to prioritize stronger oversight, sustained domestic investment and practical measures that protect patients, especially children, from preventable transmission.
