The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has warned of a looming "man-made epidemic" in Pakistan, citing the widespread manufacturing and use of reusable syringes despite a countrywide ban imposed in 2021. The warning, issued on 2 May 2025 and reported by Pakistan's leading daily Dawn, comes as HIV cases continue to rise sharply, with the PMA calling the situation a potential "uncontrollable national emergency."

The Syringe Fraud at the Centre of the Crisis

The PMA has flagged the discovery of syringes falsely labelled as "auto-disable" (AD) that actually function as reusable instruments. "The discovery of syringes falsely labelled as 'auto-disable' (AD) that function as reusable instruments is a criminal deception," the PMA stated, according to Dawn. The association said it is "beyond unfortunate that the very regulatory bodies entrusted with the safety of medical instruments have failed so fundamentally."

The ban on conventional disposable syringes, introduced in 2021 as an infection-control measure, has been exposed as a "paper-only" policy, the PMA said. Counterfeit compliant-labelled stocks reportedly passed regulatory checks and entered the supply chain without detection.

Regulatory Bodies Blamed for 'Catastrophic Failure'

The PMA has directly blamed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and provincial authorities for what it termed a "catastrophic failure." It has demanded a nationwide audit of all syringe-manufacturing units and the immediate seizure of all non-compliant stocks. A high-level inquiry has also been called for to establish how falsely labelled syringes bypassed regulatory checks and entered the broader supply chain.

The association further called on the government to launch an emergency public awareness campaign to help citizens identify genuine auto-disable syringes. "It is not merely a bureaucratic lapse; it is a direct assault on the lives of millions of Pakistanis," the PMA said in its statement.

The Human Cost: HIV Cases and Child Deaths

An estimated 350,000 to 369,000 people are currently living with HIV in Pakistan, according to the PMA. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 894 new HIV cases were recorded in Sindh, including 329 children. New HIV infections among children aged 0 to 14 years have risen from 530 cases in 2010 to over 1,800 annually, the association noted.

In 2023, more than 1,100 children died due to AIDS-related complications, which the PMA attributed directly to reused syringes and unsafe medical practices. Without immediate intervention, the association warned, Pakistan's HIV burden could rise to 12.6 million by 2030.

Notably, Pakistan also bears the second-highest burden of Hepatitis C globally, compounding the public health emergency.

Global Fund to Examine Situation in Islamabad

A team from the Global Fund (GF) is expected to visit Islamabad soon to assess the deteriorating situation. The Global Fund has reportedly invested over USD 1 billion in Pakistan over the past two decades to combat HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. The visit signals growing international concern over Pakistan's ability to contain the crisis without structural reforms to its medical supply chain.

With regulatory credibility in question and infection numbers climbing, the PMA's warning underscores an urgent need for systemic accountability — and the coming weeks are likely to determine whether Pakistan treats this as the national health emergency it has become.