Islamabad: On the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has constituted a high-level taskforce to investigate reported mishandling of HIV cases, while the prime minister has ordered an immediate nationwide crackdown on the reuse of syringes, seen as a major driver of infections in the country.
According to an official notification, the taskforce has been formed to probe the reported reuse of contaminated syringes and lapses in the management of HIV cases, and to recommend measures to strengthen the country’s response to infectious diseases.
The taskforce will be headed by Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Malik as chairperson, with former AFIC commander Maj Gen (retd) Azhar Mahmood Kayani as co-chair. Its members include former SAPM on health and renowned public health specialist Dr Zafar Mirza, Special Secretary Interior Dawood Muhammad Bareach, Additional Secretary Health Laeeq Ahmed as member-secretary, and secretaries of health from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Other members include Chief Executive Officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Dr Obaidullah, Dean of the Institute of Public Health Lahore Dr Saira Afzal, and Head of Infectious Diseases at IPH Lahore Dr Sobia Qazi. The notification also allows for inclusion of any co-opted members, if required.
As per its terms of reference, the taskforce will review and investigate the reported reuse of contaminated syringes contributing to the spread of HIV, examine management gaps in handling HIV cases, and propose recommendations to improve mechanisms for controlling infectious diseases. The taskforce has been directed to submit its report to the prime minister within seven days.
The move comes amid growing concern among health experts that unsafe injection practices, including reuse of syringes, continue to fuel the spread of HIV and hepatitis B and C in Pakistan.
In a parallel development, chairing a high-level meeting on health affairs, the prime minister directed authorities to ensure strict enforcement of the ban on reusable syringes and ordered the exclusive use of auto-disable syringes across the country.
He instructed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, provincial governments and law enforcement agencies to completely eliminate the reuse of syringes in both public and private healthcare settings, warning that negligence in this area was putting thousands of lives at risk.
Officials said the government is also moving to phase out larger-capacity syringes prone to reuse, particularly 10cc syringes, by converting them into auto-disable or auto-destructable variants to ensure they cannot be used more than once.
The prime minister emphasised that ensuring the availability and mandatory use of auto-disable syringes is critical to preventing the transmission of blood-borne infections, directing regulators to take strict action against manufacturers, suppliers and healthcare providers found violating the policy.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting public health, he said every possible measure would be taken to safeguard human lives, adding that even a single preventable infection was unacceptable.
He also directed that all patients visiting public sector hospitals should be screened for hepatitis, HIV and other infectious diseases, while the health ministry was asked to develop, in coordination with provinces, an integrated system for timely reporting and surveillance of such diseases.
The prime minister further instructed authorities to accelerate the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Control Programme, focusing on large-scale screening, testing and treatment in collaboration with provincial governments.
During the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister that 98 antiretroviral therapy centres are currently operational in major hospitals across the country, with plans to increase their number to 164 within a year to expand treatment coverage for HIV patients.
It was also informed that HIV screening facilities have been introduced at all international airports for illegal immigrants returning to the country, while a pilot phase of the national hepatitis C elimination programme will soon be launched in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
On polio, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to eradicate the virus, noting that environmental surveillance indicates a gradual decline in poliovirus circulation. Officials said the most recent anti-polio campaign achieved 98 percent coverage.
The meeting was attended by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharth, and Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, along with senior officials from relevant institutions.
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