Pakistan’s Healthcare Collapse: 7,500 Children Infected with HIV, 25,000 Deaths, and 10 Million with Hepatitis C.

The interior minister of Pakistan stated, "whether we admit it or not, this system has collapsed" and that "this system has to be reset". Pakistan’s healthcare system has suffered a severe breakdown. It is illustrated by the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. Only 7,500 children in the country are reported to have acquired HIV through reused syringes or transfusion of unscreened blood. The figure excludes cases in Punjab for 2026 because the province has not supplied data to the federal government. The report says that 25,000 people in total have died from HIV, though the number of child deaths is not available. A further 10 million people are infected with hepatitis C, the largest population in the world. The country’s prevalence of hepatitis C is estimated at 7.5 percent, the highest worldwide. Twenty percent of the global hepatitis C burden lies in Pakistan. Both viruses share the same routes of transmission: injections, reusable syringes, and contaminated multi‑dose vials. The situation is exacerbated by health facilities that give the same reused equipment to many patients, leading to repeated infections. The World Health Organization flagged that every six months children on antiretroviral treatment should have a viral‑load test. In Sindh this testing has been interrupted since December last year, and monitoring in Punjab and other provinces is unclear. The healthcare crisis is compounded by fiscal shortfalls. The government relies on grants from the Global Fund. Between 2013 and 2015, 90 percent of funding for HIV, TB, and malaria came from the Fund, yet Rs122 billion remained unspent according to a 2025 Auditor‑General report. Key positions in federal and provincial AIDS programmes remain vacant, and no accountability has been established. The interior minister’s remarks have prompted Pakistan to ask serious questions about the health system. The author, a former health‑systems adviser, urges a broad reform and political consensus so that the country can stop infecting innocent children with HIV and address other public‑health crises. Published by Dawn on August 7, 2026.