The Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC) at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) organized a one-day seminar to examine Pakistan’s evolving HIV epidemic, with particular attention to the rising number of children affected by the disease.
Held in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO-EMRO), the seminar was titled “Nothing About Us, Without Us: Ethical Responses to the Evolving HIV Epidemic in Pakistan: Regional and Global Implications.” It brought together national and international health experts, healthcare professionals, bioethicists, public health specialists, journalists and civil society representatives to discuss the medical, social and ethical dimensions of HIV in Pakistan.
The discussion came at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a growing HIV challenge, with children increasingly among those affected. According to WHO reporting cited during the seminar, new HIV cases among children aged 0–14 years rose from 530 in 2010 to around 1,800 in 2023. The figures underscored the need for stronger prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and protection of vulnerable communities.
The seminar opened with welcome remarks by Professor Aamir Jafarey, Chairperson of CBEC, and Dr Arshad Altaf of WHO-EMRO. The keynote address was delivered online by Professor Elizabeth Bukusi of Nairobi, Kenya, who shared lessons from Africa’s experience of responding to HIV in resource-limited settings.
Professor Bukusi emphasized that an effective HIV response requires more than medical treatment. She highlighted the need to strengthen healthcare systems, expand access to treatment and ensure that communities affected by HIV have a meaningful role in shaping programmes and policies designed to address the epidemic.
The regional perspective was provided by Dr Muhammad Shahid Jamil of WHO-EMRO, who discussed the HIV response across the Eastern Mediterranean Region. He outlined shared challenges among countries in the region while pointing to opportunities for stronger regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing and coordinated public health action.
Providing an overview of Pakistan’s HIV situation, Dr Samreen Sarfaraz of Indus Hospital and Health Network discussed persistent misconceptions about HIV, changing patterns of infection among children and key populations, healthcare-associated transmission, stigma and delayed diagnosis. She also highlighted the difficulties faced by people living with HIV and their families in obtaining timely and appropriate healthcare and support.
Speakers stressed that the HIV challenge cannot be addressed through clinical treatment alone. Fear, misinformation, stigma and mistrust can prevent people from seeking testing, treatment and continuing care. Consequently, protecting the privacy, dignity and rights of people living with HIV remains central to an effective and ethical public health response.
The seminar also highlighted the importance of building safe and accountable healthcare systems alongside advances in medicine. Wider access to HIV testing and treatment, stronger infection-prevention practices, improved public awareness and meaningful community participation were identified as essential components of a sustainable response.
The seminar’s central message, “Nothing About Us, Without Us,” reinforced the principle that people living with HIV, their families and affected communities should not merely be recipients of healthcare policies. Rather, they should have a meaningful voice in decisions that directly affect their health, rights and lives.
Representatives from various sectors attended the event, including health journalists and civil society organizations engaged in HIV-related work. (Participants included representatives of United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOPS), Nai Zindagi Trust Sindh and Bridge Consultants Foundation, who contributed perspectives and experiences to the discussion.
The Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC), SIUT, promotes education, research and policy dialogue in bioethics while encouraging ethical approaches to healthcare and public health. The Centre was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for Bioethics in 2017 and continues to contribute to the development of ethical healthcare practices in Pakistan and beyond.
The seminar concluded with a shared understanding that Pakistan’s growing HIV challenge demands a comprehensive, rights-based and community-centred response. Such an approach must combine quality medical care with prevention, public awareness, early diagnosis, equal access to services, ethical healthcare practices and respect for the dignity and privacy of people living with HIV.
