Sindh Sets Up 44 Antiretroviral Therapy Centres After 94 Children Infected in Karachi Hospital Outbreak.

The recent HIV outbreak at Kulsum Bai Valika Hospital in Karachi infected 94 children, exposing significant medical neglect in a facility serving a vulnerable population. In response, the Sindh government’s health department decided to establish 44 Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres across the province. The ART centres operate under Sindh’s Communicable Disease Control (CDC) programme. They provide free, reliable treatment for HIV/AIDS and aim to reduce community spread. Additionally, they carry a responsibility to educate the public, countering longstanding myths and taboos about the disease. Key issues identified include a lack of public awareness about the outbreak and insufficient accountability within the healthcare system. The new centres are intended to counter these problems by providing accessible treatment, requiring independent oversight, and generating timely progress reports. Effective surveillance, coupled with transparent reporting, is seen as essential to protecting young lives from future negligent incidents.