• Minister Ghani says govt tested 10,500 residents following emergence of HIV cases at health facility in SITE in Oct 2025• Says 2,000 tested at SESSI-run hospital in Landhi, 10 of whom were found infected with virus• Vows not to suspend screening drive due to fear of more cases emerging• Announces body of leading medical experts for long-term treatment, welfare of 78 infected children
KARACHI: Following the HIV outbreak at the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI)-run Valika Hospital, more than 10,500 people living in the vicinity of the health facility in SITE have been screened since October 2025 and 120 of them tested positive for the contagious disease.
Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said a separate screening drive was conducted at another SESSI-run hospital in Landhi, where 2,000 people were tested and 10 of them found infected with HIV.
Accompanied by Indus Hospital Chief Executive Dr Abdul Bari and Aga Khan University Hospital’s Dr Faisal Mehmood, the minister shared the findings of two inquiries into the HIV outbreak at Valika Hospital, stating that the second inquiry report, submitted to the provincial ombudsman on June 19, 2026 confirmed 78 HIV-positive children and six deaths.
