PM orders legal action against people and hospitals involved in its use or found negligent in preventing its use.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting to review measures taken to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. PHOTO: PMO
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday ordered authorities to impose a nationwide ban on the manufacture and use of substandard syringes as part of efforts to curb the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.
The directive came during a meeting chaired by the prime minister to review measures taken to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The meeting was attended by Minister of Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister of State for Health Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Attorney General Mansoor Awan, Global Fund representative Izaskun Gaviria, public health experts, representatives of the Ministry of National Health Services, DRAP and senior government officials.
Chief Minister Shehbaz ordered legal action against people and hospitals involved in the use of non-compliant syringes or found criminally negligent in preventing their use.
He also ordered the formation of a committee of health experts to develop recommendations for controlling infectious diseases, and ordered it to consult provincial governments before finalizing its proposals.
The prime minister directed the Ministry of Justice to work with relevant institutions to propose amendments to the legal and regulatory framework where necessary. “A comprehensive national strategy and its effective implementation are the only solution to this problem,” the prime minister said, according to the statement.
Read: SHC demands ‘comprehensive’ report from Sindh govt in 2 weeks on HIV outbreak at Karachi hospital
It also directed the Pakistan Drug Regulatory Authority to consult the medical device industry and propose policy measures aimed at permanently preventing the spread of infectious diseases through the use of syringes.
The prime minister said support from international partners remained crucial to ongoing efforts to combat communicable diseases and emphasized the need to focus on the manufacturing of medical equipment and internationally recognized training for health workers.
The meeting was briefed on the measures taken by the special task force created on the instructions of the Prime Minister, as well as the initiatives of the Ministry of National Health Services to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
The directive comes a day after a petition filed in the Sindh High Court alleged that the HIV outbreak at Kulsum Bai Valika (KBV) hospital located in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) area was caused by reuse of contaminated disposable syringes and gross medical negligence, resulting in the spread of the infection to over 200 children, with several deaths reported.
Additionally, a letter addressed to the principal secretary and other senior government officials, dated March 31 and submitted by the lawyer, shared with The express PAkGazettenoted that the outbreak initially infected 84 children between November 2025 and February 2026.
