A government hospital in Taunsa, Punjab allegedly continued reusing syringes on children even after an HIV outbreak triggered official action, according to an investigation by BBC Eye.
The report said THQ Hospital Taunsa remained involved in unsafe injection practices months after Punjab health authorities promised a crackdown following a surge in HIV cases among children.
According to the investigation, undercover footage recorded inside the hospital’s children’s ward showed repeated violations of basic infection control rules. These included reused syringes, contaminated medicine vials, injections being given through clothes, exposed needles, and volunteers administering injections without proper supervision.
The findings have added to concerns around a wider HIV outbreak in Taunsa, where at least 331 children reportedly tested positive between November 2024 and October 2025.
The report said only a very small number of parents tested positive in cases where families were also screened, raising serious questions about transmission through unsafe medical treatment.
Health authorities had earlier acknowledged more than 100 infections among children and suspended the hospital’s medical superintendent in March 2025. However, the investigation claimed unsafe practices continued months later despite those measures.
Experts who reviewed the footage said the methods seen at the hospital carried a high risk of spreading blood-borne infections, including HIV, especially when used syringes came into contact with shared medicine containers.
The report also highlighted broader failures inside the hospital, including poor waste handling, lack of sterile precautions, missing medicines, and continued dependence on injections in situations where safer treatment options may have been possible.
Hospital officials denied responsibility. The current medical superintendent reportedly questioned the authenticity of the footage and said infection control rules were being followed, while local authorities said there was no conclusive evidence proving the hospital was the confirmed source of the outbreak.
Even so, the investigation said new HIV cases among children in Taunsa are still being detected, showing that the crisis may not be over.
Source: BBC
