A team from the Sindh Healthcare Commission visited Valika Hospital on Friday to review issue regarding the emergence of HIV cases, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel. Kulsum Bai Valika Hospital, located on Main Manghopir Road in the SITE area of Karachi, was a major Social Security facility. It is currently the center of a severe public health crisis involving a massive HIV outbreak, affecting dozens of children due to alleged unsafe injection practices and negligence.
The team observes hospital administration’s failure to implement most recommendations regarding infection prevention. The team expressed concern over the absence of needles—detached from used syringes—in the sharps waste bins.
Staff were unable to provide a satisfactory reply regarding the procedure for disposing of used needles.
According to spokesperson of Healthcare Commission, hospital staff were not provided with formal training on infection prevention and the safe disposal of medical waste. The hospital administration failed to produce written policies and guidelines regarding infection control. The operational condition of the autoclave machine was also not verified, the spokesperson noted.
The OT and nursing staff were also absent during the inspection. The staff of the private contractor responsible for collecting and disposing of medical waste lacks proper training. Infection control protocols were not fully implemented in the operation theatre.