Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has directed health officials to make HIV screening mandatory before all surgical procedures involving skin piercing or incisions across Pakistan.
He issued the directive while chairing a meeting of the Joint Working Group on HIV/AIDS at the ministry.
The minister asked health authorities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan to issue the necessary notifications to enforce pre-surgical HIV screening.
Officials said Sindh, Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory have already implemented HIV screening before such surgical procedures.
Mr Kamal said a uniform standard is now needed across the country.
The minister also called for special attention to children living with HIV. He said their care should include nutritional, psychosocial and welfare support along with clinical treatment to improve quality of life and treatment outcomes.
Mr Kamal further directed that provincial healthcare commissions be invited to the next meeting to review infection prevention and control practices.
He stressed that unsafe injections, weak infection-control protocols and gaps in blood safety must be addressed within the national framework.
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