Islamabad: Hardly 22 percent of the estimated 417,214 people living with HIV in Pakistan have been registered, and only about 16 percent are receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), according to the latest programme overview of the Ministry of National Health Services. The new estimate puts the number of people living with the virus at over 417,000, of whom 92,148 are registered and 67,878 are on treatment.
The figures were placed before the National Assembly in replies to questions by MNA Dr Sharmila Faruqui and Ms Nuzhat Sadiq.
WHO and UNAIDS data cited in the reply show estimated annual new infections rose from about 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024, an increase of around 200 percent. The ministry acknowledged that Pakistan is among the countries with the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It described the national epidemic as concentrated and said prevalence in the general population remained below 0.1 per cent.
Among those registered are 3,900 children, added to the HIV registry between January 2025 and June 2026. Sindh and Punjab accounted for 3,680 of them, with 1,915 registrations in Sindh and 1,765 in Punjab. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 139, Balochistan 46, Islamabad 30, Azad Jammu and Kashmir four and Gilgit-Baltistan one.
The ministry said the national ART network had grown to 113 centres, including 15 added in Sindh this year, while HIV testing rose from 37,944 people in 2020 to 374,126 in 2025. A case-based national HIV dashboard is operating, but Punjab’s separate system is still being integrated. Other measures include pre-surgical screening, contact tracing, screening at 14 points of entry and a phased move to reuse-prevention syringes, with restrictions on conventional syringes up to 10cc due to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The replies also showed a heavy burden from other diseases. Pakistan remains among the countries with the largest hepatitis burden, with about nine million people estimated to be living with hepatitis C and 3.86 million with hepatitis B. The ministry cited more than 48,000 hepatitis-related deaths a year and over 88,000 new hepatitis C infections in 2024. A Rs67.77 billion federal-provincial programme aims to screen 82.5 million people and treat confirmed cases by June 2027, with elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat targeted for 2030.
The ministry estimated 32.4 million people were living with mental health conditions in 2023, up from 30 million in 2019. It counted 1,050 registered psychiatrists nationwide as of January 2026, or about one for every 245,400 people, but said figures for clinical psychologists and other trained mental-health professionals were unavailable.
A 2018 National Nutrition Survey remained the latest official assessment cited in the reply. It found more than 40 per cent of children stunted, 18 percent wasted and 52 percent of women of reproductive age anaemic. Asked about federal nutrition allocations for 2026-27, the ministry listed Rs137 million for patient diets at PIMS facilities but gave no consolidated allocation for maternal and child nutrition or rural primary healthcare.
On a more positive note, the estimated number of children who had received no first dose of pentavalent vaccine declined. WHO and UNICEF estimates put the number at 396,000 in 2024, down from 651,000 in 2021, while a 2025 third-party survey estimated fewer than 160,000. The ministry said nearly 488,000 children were vaccinated through intensified outreach in 2025 and 147,709 so far in 2026.
The government acknowledged that haemophilia data were incomplete. The National Blood Policy estimates 24,000 people may have bleeding disorders of all kinds, while 4,700 patients, including more than 3,000 with haemophilia A, were registered with the Pakistan chapter of the World Federation of Hemophilia. A national patient registry and treatment protocol are targeted for the second quarter of 2027, with no separate federal budget line for haemophilia treatment.
In a separate reply, the ministry said formaldehyde and methanol were not registered as medicines and had no approved use for treating disease or in food and drinks. It said it had no official record confirming their use by vendors, but described ingestion as toxic and potentially fatal, while enforcement against illegal sale or food use rested with provincial authorities.
The ministry also said there was no unified nationwide mechanism to regulate private healthcare fees. In Islamabad, the healthcare regulator had received no complaint about overcharging, and a health complaints system through the 1166 helpline was planned for the third week of November.
The replies also detailed the August 26 fire at PIMS, where 15 newborns were in the nursery and only one was initially rescued. Emergency services were notified about 15 minutes after the fire began and arrived at 7:01am. The ministry acknowledged that the hospital’s fire alarm system was inadequate, said eight officials had been suspended and disciplinary proceedings were under way. Islamabad has two specialised burn facilities, with 20 beds at PIMS and 10 at NESCOM Hospital, it added.