ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to form a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention group with The Global Fund, his office said on Tuesday, amid rising infection rates in Pakistan.
Sharif’s directives came during his meeting in Islamabad with a delegation of the Global Fund led by Mark Edington, the head of the grant management division at the organization. The Global Fund is an international financing organization that helps countries battle diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Pakistan’s HIV epidemic remains relatively small in absolute numbers compared with global hotspots, but it is among the fastest growing in Asia. This year, 14,182 people tested positive for HIV out of 374,126 screened at 97 centers, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said in May.
“The prime minister directed the formation of a joint working group between the Government of Pakistan and the Global Fund on HIV prevention,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Sharif described the Global Fund as a “key partner” in improving Pakistan’s health care system, vowing that Islamabad remains committed to eliminating the spread of tuberculosis, HIV and malaria in the country.
Officials from Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services briefed the delegation on the government’s efforts to prevent and control the spread of TB, HIV, and malaria in the country.
“The delegation praised Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate TB, HIV, and malaria and reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting Pakistan in eradicating these diseases,” the PMO added.
A recent BBC report revealed that as many as 331 children tested positive for HIV in Taunsa, a city in southern Punjab, between November 2024 and October 2025 due to reused syringes.
The report pointed to systemic malpractice at the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Taunsa, where medical staff were filmed reusing syringe bodies and drawing medication from contaminated multi-dose vials.
The report caused fear and panic among masses, who demanded action against the hospital. It prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to form a special taskforce to investigate the rise in HIV cases.
