ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national HIV taskforce has recommended a crackdown on the sale of reusable syringes and mislabeling of medical products as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of the virus, the Pakistani health ministry said on Saturday, amid rising infection rates in the country.
The reuse of syringes remains a critical driver of HIV transmission in Pakistan, with a recent BBC report revealing that as many as 331 children tested positive for the disease in Taunsa, a city in southern Punjab, between November 2024 and October 2025 due to reused syringes.
The report pointed to systemic malpractice at the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Taunsa, where medical staff were filmed reusing syringe bodies and drawing medication from contaminated multi-dose vials.
It prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to form a special taskforce investigate the rise in HIV cases, which the health ministry on Saturday said met for the second time under the chairmanship of State Minister for Health Dr. Mukhtar Bharath.
“Strict action should be taken against sale of reusable syringes, mislabeling,” the taskforce recommended, according to the health ministry. “Regular inspection of medical centers and pharmacies be ensured. Strict penalties should be imposed on violations of rules and regulations.”
Pakistan had banned the reuse of 2.5cc and 3cc syringes in 2021, but 10cc syringes continued to be reused in some areas as they were not covered under the ban, according to officials.
Taskforce members said there were many challenges in effective implementation of safe medical practices.
“There is a need to further strengthen infection prevention and control measures,” they were quoted as saying. “HIV testing should be made mandatory in the screening process across the country.”
Pakistan’s HIV epidemic remains relatively small in absolute numbers compared with global hotspots, but it is among the fastest growing in Asia. This year, 14,182 people tested positive for HIV out of 374,126 screened at 97 centers, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said earlier this month.
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, has repeatedly warned that Pakistan is one of the few countries where new HIV infections continue to rise, largely due to low testing rates and infections concentrated among marginalized communities.
“Taskforce members have submitted their suggestions and recommendations,” State Minister Bharath said. “Taskforce will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incidents of reuse of contaminated syringes.”
