The provincial health secretary has informed the Sindh High Court that the department will initiate proceedings against responsible persons who are involved in the reuse of disposable syringes at the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (Sessi) hospital in Karachi.
The assurance came during a hearing of a petition in the SHC, seeking the enforcement of the regulation & control of disposable syringes law and an inquiry into HIV infections in children at the Sessi hospital.
The health secretary filed comments submitting that the labour department had suspended 37 officials, issued show-cause notices and initiated departmental proceedings under the efficiency and discipline rules against responsible officials.
He said that after competition of departmental proceedings, action will be taken against responsible hospital officials who found involved in reusing disposable syringes in the hospital in violation of the Sindh Regulation and Control of Disposable Syringes Act.
The secretary submitted that Kulsoom Bai Valika hospital was under administrative control of Sessi. He said that the health department through its communicable disease control (HIV/AIDS) programme undertook immediate public health measures after receiving HIV-positive paediatric cases.
He said that a rapid response team was deputed and the centre was established in hospital where over 1,000 persons were screened out of whom 120 cases were detected HIV-positive cases and they were provided treatment, counselling and followed-up care.
The secretary said that the Sindh Healthcare Commission also conducted inspections of the hospital and identified deficiencies in infection prevention and control practices and administration, while recommending corrective measures.
The report also mentioned that auto-lock syringes were being used at the hospital. The counsel for the respondent also submitted that the purpose of the petition has been served as the government has already taken the necessary measures.
The petitioner opposed the submission of the respondent and submitted that matter still required judicial consideration as it is an issue of a serious nature affecting the life of public at large.
An SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon observed that points raised in the petition requires further consideration. The court directed the provincial law officer to submit a report on behalf of the Sindh IGP with regard to HIV infection in children at the Sessi hospital.
The petitioner, M Tariq Mansoor, said in his petition that several children had been affected due to the negligence of paramedical staff of Sessi’s Kulsoom Bai Valika Site Hospital in Karachi in October 2025. The children were infected due to the reuse of syringes at the hospital, he added.
He said that despite repeated reports in national media regarding the HIV outbreak, no transparent, independent or time-bound inquiry had been conducted to fix responsibility upon the officials and medical staff allegedly involved.
Mansoor said the provincial assembly had promulgated the Sindh Regulation & Control of Disposable Syringes Act, 2010, to prevent people from infection and control the spread of allied diseases.
Despite a lapse of 16 years and the promulgation of the law to curb the reuse of syringes at health care facilities, the practice of reusing syringes still existed, causing the spread of infectious diseases in patients, he added.
He informed the SHC that the government had also not framed the rules for the disposable syringes law. The petitioner requested the SHC to direct the government to enforce the law and provide proper medical treatment to patients, including the children who were infected due to the reuse of syringes at the Sessi hospital.
He also sought direction for the registration of an FIR against the officials responsible for the spread of infections, requesting the high court to direct the Sindh chief secretary to initiate a high-powered independent inquiry into the incident and fix responsibilities on the officials responsible.
The petitioner also sought a lifelong medical treatment and appropriate compensation for the affected children and enforce the provisions of the Sindh Regulation and Control of Disposable Syringes Act 2010 throughout the province.
