ART centres

HIV outbreaks in hospitals are almost always the result of sheer medical negligence and when such negligence is exercised against children - one of the most vulnerable members of society - there is no room for delayed action. After a recent HIV outbreak at the Kulsum Bai Valika Hospital in Karachi where 94 innocent children contracted the virus, the Sindh government's health department made the right call to decide to set up 44 Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres across the province.

These centres operate under Sindh's Communicable Disease Control (CDC) programme and are meant to assist in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDs by making it easier for citizens to access free and reliable treatment for the disease. The centres also have a responsibility to impart awareness and education to the general public which still finds itself steeped in decades-old myths and taboos regarding the spread of the virus.

Two things are important here: first, raising awareness regarding the HIV outbreak that occurred in Valika Hospital; and second, ensuring that these ART centres are functional and overseen by an independent body working in collaboration with the internal administration. The Sindh government's healthcare landscape largely suffers from a failure to address both of these issues: lack of awareness and accountability. While widespread awareness may initially breed fear among citizens already hesitant to visit hospitals in the country, it remains the sole mechanism capable of driving a collective demand for systemic accountability.

Citizens will demand protection only when they understand the threat they face. These ART centres must be insulated from polarising narratives, generate timely progress reports and accept strict oversight. Surveillance is indeed a monster - except when it serves as the ultimate shield against the careless destruction of young lives.