Punjab CM Maryam suspends MS and staff of Multan's Nishtar hospital over HIV outbreak

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken action following the reports of an HIV outbreak among dialysis patients at Nishtar Hospital, Multan, suspending the hospital’s Medical Superintendent (MS) and several key medical staff for criminal negligence.

According to an inquiry report, the incident occurred due to serious lapses in following established protocols for infection control during dialysis.

The suspended staff include MS Dr. Muhammad Kazim, Dr. Ghulam Abbas (Head of the Nephrology Department), Dr. Poonam Khalid (Associate Professor), Dr. Mohammad Qadeer (Senior Registrar), Dr. Maliah Johar, Dr. Mohammad Alamgir (Medical Officer in Nephrology Ward), and Head Nurse Naheed Parveen.

The inquiry revealed that the required SOPs, including mandatory HIV and hepatitis testing every three months, were violated. Instead of following hospital protocol, tests were conducted by private laboratories.

Despite confirming HIV cases, the hospital staff attempted to conceal the matter.

Furthermore, disposable dialysis kits and dialyzers were reused on multiple patients, and senior doctors failed to visit the ward for several weeks.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz personally visited Nishter Hospital to review the situation and hear the positions of senior hospital staff, including the Vice Chancellor and Head of Department.

During her visit, she expressed deep concern over the criminal negligence that allowed the spread of HIV, calling the use of reused syringes as a primary cause of the outbreak.

The Chief Minister ordered the Secretary of Health to take strict action under the Peda Act against the responsible officers and instructed the doctors to compensate the affected patients.

Maryam Nawaz emphasized the importance of resources being dedicated to healthcare, but also acknowledged that without proper implementation of protocols, positive outcomes would not be achieved.

In response to the suspensions, doctors and paramedical staff at Nishter Hospital staged protests, voicing their dissatisfaction with the decision and protesting against the government and police.

A committee formed by the Nishtar Hospital administration to probe into HIV cases among diabetic patients has not completed its report despite a considerable lapse of time.

The MS had denied reports that as many as 30 patients in the hospital's nephrology department were suffering from HIV.

Following reports of HIV positive cases among diabetic patients, the hospital administration had constituted the committee to ascertain the facts.

Meanwhile, the health department is continuing its investigation into the incident.