Unsafe needle disposal found at Valika Hospital amid HIV outbreak

The Sindh Healthcare Commission has uncovered unsafe needle disposal practices at Valika Hospital, a facility already under scrutiny following an HIV outbreak that infected at least 78 children. An inspection revealed that needles were manually removed from syringes after use and not placed in designated sharps bins. This practice has raised serious concerns about the hospital's medical waste management, as it remains unclear where the removed needles were ultimately disposed of. The commission noted that technical staff could not adequately explain the disposal process. The hospital, run by the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI), is in SITE. An additional 120 HIV cases were confirmed in the nearby area. The inspection team also observed that medical waste was not being segregated and disposed of according to infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines. Staff demonstrated poor knowledge of safe medical waste handling, and the private contractor responsible for waste collection and disposal had not received proper training. Furthermore, the hospital failed to present any written IPC guidelines or policies, and no formal IPC training had been provided to staff. The working condition of the autoclave could not be verified, and key nursing and operation theatre staff were unavailable during duty hours, hindering the assessment of routine infection control practices. Despite these deficiencies, the medical superintendent and hospital management team showed awareness and commitment to improving systems and ensuring compliance with healthcare standards. However, the influence of staff unionization and some staff members' unwillingness to cooperate appeared to undermine these efforts.

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This raised serious concerns about the hospital’s medical waste management practices, as it was unclear where the removed needles had gone or how they had been disposed of.