ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister Health Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday announced a major policy shift aimed at making Pakistan self-sufficient in vaccine production, warning that the country will face a potential financial and public health crisis if it continued to rely on imported vaccines beyond 2031.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said Pakistan currently vaccinates children against 13 diseases free of cost under its routine immunisation programme. He said burden was continuously increasing as approximately 6.2 million children born every year.

“These vaccines are presently arranged with the support of international partners, including Gavi, WHO, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation,” he informed.

Mustafa Kamal explained that Pakistan currently beard around 51 percent of the cost of vaccine procurement—estimated at USD 400–500 million annually—while 49 percent was covered by international agencies.

“However, this support will gradually decline, and by 2030–31 Pakistan will be required to fully finance vaccine procurement on its own. By 2031, Pakistan will have to purchase vaccines entirely from its own resources. At that time, the estimated cost will rise to USD 1.2 billion annually,” he said.

He noted that while Pakistan currently administers 13 vaccines, many countries provide far more—Saudi Arabia vaccinates children against 47 diseases, while some countries administer up to 60 vaccines.

He disclosed that a high-level 11-member Saudi delegation, led by Advisor to the Saudi Ministry of Health Nizar bin Hariri, arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit to assess local capacity. The delegation visited Drap, the National Institute of Health (NIH), and selected private sector facilities.

“These discussions have been extremely productive. The Saudi delegation has shown strong interest after seeing Pakistan’s technical capacity and potential,” the minister said.

Pakistan currently requires approximately 140 million vaccine doses annually. However, Kamal said production would need to reach at least 300 million doses to achieve economic feasibility, with surplus doses exported to international markets.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2026