Doctor accused of spreading HIV among patients remanded in police custody

Karachi: The Ratodero police on Tuesday produced a doctor accused of transmitting HIV to his patients before a local court and secured his three-day physical remand from the judge.

According to Dawn, the police had arrested the doctor following a complaint filed by an official of the anti-quackery team in which he had alleged the suspect of passing on the virus to his patients.

According to the complainant, Dr Abdul Sami, the suspect named Dr Muzaffar Ghangharo is an HIV patient. He is a government employee who also runs a private clinic in Larkana.

However, Dr Ghangharo refuted the allegations that he was responsible for transmitting the virus on to his patients. He added that had he known of his ailment he would sought treatment for himself in the first place.

Larkana Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Siddique Noman confirmed the registration of an FIR and the subsequent arrest of Dr Ghangharo. He said that the case will be referred to senior officials for further inquiry into the matter, Daily Dawn reported.

Dr Sikander Memon, chief of the Sindh Aids Control Programme, said that a medical team is due in Rotadero next week to ascertain the cause of HIV transmission among the residents. The health officials will also run tests on Dr Ghangharo.

In a statement, the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (MMIDSP) referred to the transmission of the virus from doctor to patient as “impossible even if the former administers injections to the latter”. Moreover, it said that it was unethical to publically disclose a person’s HIV status.