“They used the same syringe for multiple children, refilling it each time before administering it to another patient.”
Disturbing scenes have emerged from a hospital in Taunsa, a city in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
According to a detailed investigation by the BBC Eye, at least 331 children tested positive for HIV between November 2024 and October 2025, with infections linked to the THQ Taunsa Sharif, a public hospital operated by provincial health authorities.
Following an undercover investigation lasting 32 hours, the BBC documented 10 separate incidents in which the same syringe was reused with multi-dose drug vials. In four of those cases, the same vial was administered to different children. Health experts warn that if even one child in such a scenario is HIV-positive, others could be exposed through contamination.
“They filled the same syringe and gave it to one child, then filled it again and gave it to another,” a family member of an infected child told the BBC.
This practice meant that syringes used on multiple patients could contaminate shared drug vials, increasing the risk of virus transmission between children.
Dr. Altaf Ahmed, a leading infectious disease specialist in Pakistan, told the BBC that even replacing the needle does not eliminate the risk, as contamination can remain in the syringe itself and spread to others.
Although a previous hospital administrator was removed after similar practices were discovered in late 2024, the current medical superintendent, Qasim Buzdar, questioned the authenticity of the footage, suggesting it may have been “staged,” according to the BBC. He also assured parents that treatment at the hospital is safe.
Despite these assurances, concerns remain over repeated reports of unsafe medical practices, while hundreds of affected children now face life-long treatment for HIV, a situation many believe could have been prevented with proper infection control measures.
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