SESSI suspends 37 hospital staff after HIV outbreak in children, Sindh announces Rs2 billion endowment fund

The Sindh government has suspended 37 members of the medical staff of the Sindh Employees' Social Security

KARACHI: The Sindh government has suspended 37 members of the medical staff of the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI)-run Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital after an inquiry confirmed that 78 children contracted HIV/AIDS due to the alleged use of contaminated syringes, Sindh Labour and Human Resources Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro announced here on Thursday.

The announcement was made during a consultative meeting of trade unions, labour federations and workers’ rights organisations held at the SESSI headquarters in Karachi under the auspices of the Pakistan Peoples Labour Bureau (PPLB).
Abro also disclosed that the SESSI governing board had approved the establishment of a Rs 2 billion endowment fund for the affected children. He said the provincial government was working with financial and medical experts to develop a transparent mechanism for managing the fund to ensure long-term support for the victims and their families.
“We are designing a comprehensive mechanism for the judicious utilisation of the endowment fund,” he said. “One proposal is to invest the amount in a government savings scheme so that the returns can be used to meet the medical treatment expenses of the affected children while also providing financial compensation to their families.”
Describing the incident as one of the gravest tragedies to occur in a SESSI-run healthcare facility, Abro termed it a case of serious negligence on the part of hospital employees.
“This is an extremely unfortunate incident. There was clear negligence by the hospital staff, and strict action will be taken against everyone found responsible,” he said, adding that disciplinary proceedings had already been initiated following the suspension of 37 officials and employees.
The HIV outbreak has raised serious concerns about infection control practices and patient safety in public healthcare facilities, particularly those catering to industrial workers and their families under the social security system.
The announcement came during a wider consultative meeting that focused on workers’ welfare, labour rights and reforms in labour welfare institutions across Sindh.
The meeting, chaired by Pakistan Peoples Labour Bureau Sindh President Habibuddin Junaidi, was attended by senior officials of the Sindh Labour Department, representatives of trade unions, workers’ federations, labour rights organisations and civil society groups.
Among those present were Labour Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Minister’s Coordinator Muhammad Khan Abro, Director General Labour Sindh Nazeer Ahmed Soomro, senior officers of the Labour Department, representatives of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), and leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Labour Bureau.
Addressing the participants, Habibuddin Junaidi praised Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani for introducing labour-friendly reforms and strengthening the protection of workers’ rights in the province.
He said Sindh had enacted several landmark labour laws in recent years, including legislation on the enforcement of the minimum wage, protection of trade union rights, improvement of industrial relations, job security and legal safeguards for women workers.
According to Junaidi, these reforms had placed Sindh ahead of other provinces in terms of labour rights legislation. However, he stressed that implementation remained the biggest challenge and called for stronger action against corruption and administrative inefficiencies within the Labour Department, SESSI and the Sindh Workers Welfare Board.
“The benefits of progressive legislation can only reach workers if corruption is eliminated and institutions become more responsive and transparent,” he said.
Representatives of trade unions and labour organisations highlighted several longstanding issues affecting workers and presented a series of recommendations to the provincial government.
The participants demanded uniform implementation of the statutory minimum wage across all sectors, mandatory issuance of appointment letters to every employee, abolition of contract employment and the contractor system, and effective measures to eliminate corruption in institutions providing healthcare and welfare services to workers.
They also urged the government to remove hurdles in accessing treatment under SESSI and the Workers Welfare Board, issue the Benazir Mazdoor Card without delay and ensure speedy disposal of pending cases in labour courts.
Labour leaders appreciated the provincial government’s recent actions against corruption in labour welfare institutions and said greater accountability would help restore workers’ confidence in public institutions.
They emphasised that regular dialogue between the government, employers and workers was essential for resolving labour disputes and improving industrial relations in the province.
The officials also pledged to continue reforms aimed at enhancing transparency, improving service delivery and expanding social protection programmes for registered workers and their families.
The participants observed that such forums not only help identify practical solutions to workers’ problems but also strengthen trust between the government and organised labour.
They further called for regular labour conferences, institutionalised tripartite consultations among the government, employers and workers, and activation of labour committees to ensure effective implementation of labour laws and the continued protection of workers’ rights throughout Sindh.