Children's Hospital Grapples with Rising HIV Cases

In June, the Anti­ret­roviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Chandka Medical College (CMC) Children's Hospital in Larkana registered 73 new HIV-positive cases among children. A significant portion of these new cases originated from the Khairpur district, placing an increased burden on the facility. Officials reported that the center operates with a shortage of essential staff, including a pharmacist, and requires additional junior doctors to manage the growing caseload.

The center, part of the Directorate of Communicable Disease Control, is also housed in a building with a dilapidated condition, evidenced by fallen ceiling plaster. Routine HIV screening was introduced in the hospital's outpatient department on January 7. While mother-to-child transmission has been significantly reduced due to early detection and treatment, factors like unsafe blood transfusions, weak surveillance, and repeated use of syringes continue to contribute to HIV transmission. Health experts emphasize the need for expanded screening, safe blood transfusions, and improved ART facilities across Sindh to curb the spread of HIV among children.