At least 78 children have been diagnosed with HIV following an outbreak at Karachi’s KulsumBai Valika Hospital run by the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI), a meeting was informed on Monday.

Presiding over a meeting, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed authorities to ensure uninterrupted treatment, rehabilitation and financial assistance for the HIV-positive children, while declaring a zero-tolerance policy towards negligence in healthcare.

“The lives of children are sacred. Any lapse in medical protocols that endangers patients is unacceptable and will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law,” the chief minister said.

To support the affected families, Shah announced the establishment of a Rs2 billion Endowment Fund to finance the treatment, welfare, rehabilitation and long-term care of HIV-positive children.

Officials told the meeting that the outbreak first came to light in October 2025 after six children tested positive for HIV.

Subsequent investigations found widespread administrative failures and serious breaches of infection-control protocols in the hospital’s paediatrics department, where all of the initial cases were linked.

The meeting was told that the inquiry found serious shortcomings in the hospital’s infection-control measures, including a lack of standard operating procedures, poor sterilisation practices, and improper disposal of medical waste.

The inquiry also found shortages of disposable medical supplies, inadequate HIV testing facilities, and weak systems for monitoring patients, the meeting was told.

Investigators also found evidence suggesting that single-use syringes and other equipment may have been improperly handled.

Following the outbreak, an Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre was established at the hospital to provide specialised treatment, while HIV prevention protocols were introduced across all SESSI healthcare facilities in Sindh.

More than 300 doctors and paramedics were also screened, resulting in two employees testing positive for HIV.

Authorities said families of affected children are being linked with treatment centres, while renowned paediatric infectious disease specialist Prof Dr Fatima Mir of Aga Khan University Hospital has been engaged to provide specialised medical care for children suffering from HIV-related complications.

The chief minister directed the Labour Department, Health Department and SESSI administration to ensure that every affected child receives free medicines, diagnostic tests, follow-up treatment, counselling and rehabilitation services without interruption.

The meeting was informed that a second inquiry submitted last month fixed responsibility on several officials for administrative and operational failures.

As a result, 37 officers and employees, including doctors, nurses, laboratory staff and hospital administrators, have been suspended and served show-cause notices pending disciplinary proceedings.

Routine HIV screening has also been made mandatory for all outpatient and admitted patients at the hospital, while an isolation ward for HIV-positive children has been established.

A third-party audit of the hospital’s procurement, inventory and infection-control systems is also under way.