The Minister of Health and the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the Civil Hospital Karachi have been summoned by the Sindh High Court (SHC).
The summons was issued in response to a petition highlighting the lack of treatment for transgender individuals with human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) at Dr. Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital. In a hearing led by Chief Justice Ahmad Ali Shaikh, a two-member bench of the SHC took up the petition.
Advocate Sara Malkani, representing the petitioner, asserted that three transgender individuals named Monica, Nikori, and Mai Jan suffering from HIV/AIDS urgently require medical assistance. However, the administration of Civil Hospital refused to provide them with the necessary care.
This comes as reports indicate a growing HIV epidemic in Pakistan, particularly in major cities where several treatment and diagnostic centers have reported an average of 50 new HIV cases each month.