First-ever national vaccine policy approved in Pakistan

Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal announced on Wednesday that the federal cabinet has approved Pakistan’s first national vaccine policy, a move that will allow the country to move towards local vaccine production.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Kamal described the decision as an important step for the country’s healthcare system. He said that Pakistan had, until now, operated without a unified national policy on vaccines.

According to the minister, the newly approved policy has been prepared after detailed consultations with relevant stakeholders to ensure it is both effective and sustainable in the long term.

He credited several key figures and institutions for their role in shaping the framework, including Haroon Akhtar Khan, Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

Kamal stressed that developing the capacity to produce vaccines locally has become increasingly important for Pakistan, adding that the policy marks a major step towards self-reliance in the health sector.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s progress in immunisation, noting that more than 160 million children and 130 million mothers have been protected through vaccination programmes carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and other partners.