HIV screening made mandatory before surgeries

ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday directed health officials to ensure mandatory HIV screening before all surgical procedures involving skin piercing or incisions across Pakistan, aiming to curb healthcare-associated transmission of the virus.

Mr Kamal issued the directive while chairing a meeting of the Joint Wor­king Group on HIV/AIDS at the ministry. The minister instructed health authorities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan to formalise and issue the necessary notifications to enforce pre-surgical HIV screening.

Health minister calls for special attention to children living with virus

Officials noted that Sindh, Punjab, and the Islamabad Capital Territory have already implemented HIV screening prior to surgical procedures involving skin piercing. The health minister emphasised the critical need to establish a uniform standard across all regions of the country.

The minister also called for special attention to children living with HIV. He said care for affected children must incorporate nutritional, psychosocial, and welfare support alongside clinical treatment to improve overall quality of life and treatment outcomes.

Mr Kamal directed that provincial healthcare commissions be invited to the next meeting to evaluate Infection Prevention and Control practices. He stressed that unsafe injections, weak infection-control protocols, and blood safety gaps must be resolved within the national framework.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2026