Key Takeaways
- The Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Chandka Medical College registered 73 new HIV-positive cases among children in June.
- Most patients are from Khairpur district, with the youngest being five months old and the oldest eight years old.
- Centre officials report a shortage of healthcare staff and need for additional junior doctors.
The Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Chandka Medical College in Larkana has reported an alarming increase in HIV-positive cases among children, with 73 new cases recorded in June alone. The majority of these patients come from Khairpur district, highlighting the growing burden on the facility.
Prof Dr Shanti Lal, head of the Department of Paediatrics at CMC Children’s Hospital, stated that routine HIV screening was introduced in the hospital’s outpatient department on January 7th. He emphasized that mother-to-child (vertical) transmission of HIV has become almost negligible due to timely diagnosis and treatment.
According to ART Centre officials, most patients are between five months and eight years old. The centre operates under the Directorate of Communicable Disease Control and is currently functioning without a pharmacist, necessitating additional junior doctors to manage the increasing caseload.
During a visit by Dawn, it was observed that a portion of the ceiling plaster had fallen in the area where doctors and support staff perform their duties, indicating the dilapidated condition of the building. Prof Shanti Lal highlighted the need for stronger preventive measures and greater public awareness.
Hospital sources reported that HIV-positive children referred to the hospital range in age from five months to 14 years old. The ART Centre noted that boys account for 52 per cent of reported paediatric HIV cases, while girls make up 48 per cent. Dr Rahim Bakhsh Bhatti, Director of the Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jillani Institute of Medical Sciences in Gambat, stated that services had not yet started due to a lady doctor undergoing specialized training.
Despite the establishment of an ART Centre at Gambat on May 26th this year, HIV-positive children from Khairpur district continue to be referred to Larkana. Dr Bhatti expressed hope that treatment would commence soon with medicines recently arriving at the facility.
Prof Shanti Lal described the situation as alarming and called for stronger preventive measures and greater public awareness. He stated that the growing number of HIV-positive children represents 'the tip of the iceberg' and requires immediate attention.
We are maintaining data on HIV cases and coordinating closely with ART centres to ensure that every screened patient undergoes confirmatory testing and receives the required medicines.
Prof Dr Shanti Lal, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at CMC Children’s Hospital
Despite the establishment of an ART Centre at Gambat on May 26th this year, HIV-positive children from Khairpur district continue to be referred to Larkana.
Dr Rahim Bakhsh Bhatti, Director of the Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jillani Institute of Medical Sciences in Gambat
