The recent incident at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, where a patient underwent surgery without mandatory HIV screening and later tested positive, is another example of the lax safety standards at our hospitals that is driving up the number of avoidable HIV infections every year. In Multan, a junior doctor's objection to the missing HIV report was ignored. This single act of negligence may have exposed an entire surgical team to the deadly virus.

The hospital's response was surprisingly nonchalant - forming an inquiry committee and disinfecting the operating theatre. The former is supposed to happen........

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