73 Children Test HIV-Positive in Larkana in June Amid Facility Shortages

The Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) Centre at Chandka Medical College (CMC) Children’s Hospital in Larkana reported a significant increase in pediatric HIV cases, with 73 children testing positive in June alone. A concerning number of these new patients hail from the Khairpur district, placing a growing burden on the already strained facility. Officials at the center highlighted the daily influx of around 20 follow-up patients, in addition to new diagnoses. The ART Centre, which operates under the Directorate of Communicable Disease Control (CDC), is grappling with critical shortages. It currently functions without a pharmacist and requires additional junior doctors to manage the escalating caseload. Compounding these issues, a recent visit revealed the center's poor physical condition, with a portion of the ceiling plaster having fallen in the staff's work area. Professor Dr. Shanti Lal, head of the Department of Paediatrics at CMC Children’s Hospital, oversees the facility.

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The ART Centre at Chandka Medical College (CMC) Children’s Hospital registered 73 new HIV-positive cases among children in June alone, with most patients belonging to different parts of Khairpur district, raising concerns over the growing burden on the facility and the shortage of healthcare staff.