ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has directed health authorities, including Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), to focus on local vaccine production projects to enable Pakistan to move towards self-reliance.
According to a statement, the minister was chairing a meeting to review progress on Pakistan’s local vaccine production initiative and reforms aimed at modernising the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC).
The meeting was attended by the Federal Secretary for Health, Aslam Ghori, the CEO National Institutes of Health (NIH), CEO Drap Dr Obaidullah Malik and representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
During the meeting, ADB representatives briefed participants on the progress of the vaccine development project, including ongoing efforts to strengthen local vaccine manufacturing capacity in Pakistan. They also presented updates on the digitisation and institutional reform of the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Mustafa Kamal emphasised that all regulatory, legal, and technical requirements should be completed in a timely manner to ensure the successful implementation of the initiative for vaccine production.
He reiterated that strengthening indigenous vaccine production was a strategic national priority that will enhance Pakistan’s health security and ensure a sustainable supply of lifesaving vaccines. Highlighting the importance of nursing sector reforms, he stated that comprehensive reforms were essential to strengthen Pakistan’s healthcare system.
Later, Mustafa Kamal chaired a meeting on Pakistan’s mental health agenda with the Founding Director of the Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD), Shifa Tameer-i-Millat University, Dr Syed Usman Hamdani. The meeting was also attended by Dr Malik Muhammad Safi from the health ministry.
Dr Hamdani briefed on Pakistan’s current mental health landscape and proposed a roadmap for strengthening the national mental health system.
He highlighted that mental disorders were the leading cause of years lived with disability (YLDs) in Pakistan, underscoring the urgent need for a whole-of-government approach that addresses the social determinants driving the growing burden of mental health problems, while integrating mental health into health, education and social protection systems.
The minister directed the ministry to integrate mental health services into the primary healthcare and education systems to promote early identification, timely intervention and improved population mental well-being.
To strengthen the mental health workforce, he instructed the ministry to coordinate with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to develop a policy introducing mandatory mental health capacity building through mental health certifications and diploma programmes for healthcare professionals.
He also directed that mental health services be integrated into all telemedicine centres operating under the ministry.
Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2026
