- Cabinet’s nod paves way for local vaccine production: Kamal.
- Says local vaccine production capacity essential for country.
- Until now, Pakistan lacks comprehensive policy on vaccines: Kamal.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday announced that the cabinet has formally approved the country’s first-ever national vaccine policy, paving the way for its local production.
Speaking to journalists following the cabinet meeting, Kamal termed the approval a major milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare system.
He noted that, until now, Pakistan lacked a comprehensive national policy on vaccines.
The newly approved framework has been developed through extensive consultations with key stakeholders to ensure a robust and sustainable approach.
The health minister highlighted that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) played a pivotal role in shaping the policy.
Kamal emphasised that establishing local vaccine production capacity had become essential for the country, adding that the initiative represents a significant step toward national self-reliance in the health sector.
Pakistan has protected over 160 million children and 130 million mothers with life-saving vaccines in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners.
Globally, vaccines have saved 154 million lives since 1974, and Pakistan ranks among the top five countries worldwide for absolute reductions in child deaths as a result of vaccination.
Since 1994, powered by the medical science behind vaccines, Pakistan has reduced paralytic polio cases by 99.8% – from an estimated 20 000 cases to 31 in 2025.