KARACHI: The Senate committee on August 6 sought details of the Sindh Healthcare Commission’s (SHCC) findings from its recent inspection of Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital, run by the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI), where nearly 100 children were found to be infected with HIV/AIDs.
It also asked the provincial authorities to assess, in light of those findings, whether the facility should be granted a licence, which it has yet to obtain.
The directives were issued during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Regulations and Coordination, chaired by Senator Aamir Aliuddin Chishti at a local hotel. Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Sindh Minister for Labour, Human Resources and Social Protection Saeed Ghani, and Senators Masroor Ahsan, Anusha Rahman, Samina Mumtaz, Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto and senior officials also attended the meeting.
“Following the HIV cases reported at Valika Hospital, the Senate committee directed the Sindh Healthcare Commission to visit and inspect the facility and compile a report,” Senator Chishti told Dawn. “Today, we were informed that the inspection has been completed. We have asked the SHCC to submit its report highlighting the discrepancies identified during the inspection. We have also directed the SHCC and the relevant authorities to examine the report and determine, on the basis of its findings, whether Valika Hospital should be granted a licence. In fact, many hospitals, including some government-run facilities, have yet to obtain SHCC licences, and Valika Hospital is one of them.”
Asks Sindh govt to assess whether the facility should be granted licence
Sindh Minister for Labour, Human Resources and Social Protection, Saeed Ghani, informed the meeting that HIV screening is being carried out in all hospitals operating under the SESSI across the province in collaboration with the provincial Health Department’s Communicable Disease Control (CDC) programme.
He further disclosed that, following the recommendations of inquiry committees constituted to investigate HIV cases at SESSI’s Valika Hospital, final show-cause notices have been issued to 37 doctors, paramedics and officials. He warned that if any of them are found guilty of criminal negligence, they will face not only departmental action but also the registration of FIRs.
During a detailed briefing on the HIV cases reported at Valika Hospital, Mr Ghani said that immediately after the cases surfaced, the Health Department’s CDC wing launched extensive screening at the hospital and in surrounding communities. He said that more than 10,500 people had so far been screened, with 120 testing positive for HIV.
“Of these, 81 are children of registered SESSI employees, while the remaining 39 have no affiliation with registered employees. Nevertheless, the Sindh government has assumed responsibility for the treatment and care of all 120 affected children,” a statement issued after the meeting quoted the Sindh minister as saying.
The minister added that screening was subsequently expanded to Landhi Hospital, despite no HIV cases having been reported there. Patients admitted to the hospital, those visiting the outpatient department, and residents of nearby localities were screened.
“More than 7,500 people have so far been tested, with 21 HIV-positive cases detected. These individuals had no previous treatment history at the hospital, while investigations had also identified external factors behind some of the infections,” he said.
Responding to questions from members of the Senate committee, Mr Ghani said he had accepted full ministerial responsibility for addressing the crisis. He said a committee comprising some of Pakistan’s leading medical specialists and hospitals was being formed to oversee the most advanced treatment for the affected children. He further announced that SESSI had established a Rs2 billion endowment fund to support the welfare of the affected families.
To ensure transparency, the minister said, an independent and autonomous oversight committee comprising eminent personalities from across the province would supervise the fund. He assured the committee that no individual found responsible for the incident would receive any leniency.
Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2026.
