Hospital at centre of child HIV outbreak caught reusing syringes in undercover filming
Hospital at Centre of Child HIV Outbreak Continued Reusing Syringes Despite Claims
In late 2025, BBC Eye uncovered alarming practices at THQ Taunsa Hospital in Punjab, Pakistan, where syringes were reused on multiple occasions during 32 hours of covert observation. The investigation revealed that 10 separate instances of contaminated needle use occurred, potentially spreading HIV through shared injections. Four of these cases involved the same vial of medicine being administered to different children, raising concerns about viral transmission risks.
Families’ Accounts of Infection
Mohammed Amin, an eight-year-old boy, died shortly after testing HIV-positive, his mother Sughra describing his severe fevers as “like he’d been thrown in hot oil.” Asma, a 10-year-old girl, also contracted the virus following her brother’s diagnosis. Both families believe the infections stemmed from routine medical treatments at THQ Taunsa, where children received injections with unsterilized needles. Their cases are among 331 children identified as HIV-positive in Taunsa between November 2024 and October 2025.
Official Response and Persistent Risks
Local authorities had promised a “massive crackdown” on unsafe practices after a private clinic doctor linked the outbreak to THQ Taunsa. However, the hospital’s medical superintendent was suspended in March 2025, only to resume work at a rural health centre three months later. During the undercover footage, staff, including a physician, were seen injecting patients without sterile gloves 66 times, and a nurse handled medical waste without protective measures. Dr Altaf Ahmed, a leading infectious disease expert, criticized these actions, stating, “Even with a new needle, the syringe body carries the virus, ensuring transmission.”
Data Analysis and Transmission Patterns
BBC Eye compiled data from the Punjab provincial AIDS screening program, private clinics, and a leaked police dataset to trace 331 HIV-positive children in Taunsa. Among a sample of 97 cases, only four mothers tested positive, indicating that most infections likely occurred through contaminated needles rather than mother-to-child spread. The hospital’s records list “contaminated needle” as the transmission method for over half the cases, though the exact source remains unspecified for others.
Denial and Controversy
When shown the footage, Dr Qasim Buzdar, the hospital’s new medical superintendent, dismissed its authenticity, suggesting it could have been staged or recorded before his tenure. Meanwhile, Dr Gul Qaisrani, a local clinic physician, reported that nearly all 65–70 HIV-diagnosed children had received treatment at THQ Taunsa. One mother recounted her daughter being injected with a syringe used on an HIV-positive cousin, while a father claimed he confronted nurses about reuse but received no response. The Punjab government later acknowledged 106 cases, but the broader systemic issues in infection control persist.
