The Documentary Podcast

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

BBC World Service

Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. The best of documentary storytelling from the BBC World Service. From China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, to the front line of the climate emergency, we go beyond the headlines. Each week we dive into the minds of the world’s most creative people, take personal journeys into spirituality and connect people from across the globe to share how news stories are shaping their lives.

Categories: Society & Culture

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Outbreaks of HIV have become regular occurrences in Pakistan. And too frequently it is the children who suffer. In the city of Taunsa, for example, children have tested positive for HIV while their parents have not. So what has been going on? Ghazal Abbasi investigates what and who is to blame. With the help of a staff insider and undercover recording in the city’s main hospital, the BBC finds shocking lapses in medical protocol. Medicine vials and syringes are often reused for different children. Cross-contamination seems inevitable. But the local authorities deny the hospital is at the centre of the problem. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Previous episodes

  • 5185 - Pakistan: Hospitals putting children at risk of HIV 
    Mon, 13 Apr 2026
  • 5184 - Helping prisoners become better parents 
    Mon, 13 Apr 2026
  • 5183 - British Queen Elizabeth II's century of fashion 
    Sun, 12 Apr 2026
  • 5182 - Bringing India's daughters back home 
    Sat, 11 Apr 2026
  • 5181 - Hopes for a 'fragile' Middle East ceasefire 
    Sat, 11 Apr 2026
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