Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said that the Government of Pakistan is providing 13 types of vaccines to citizens free of cost, however, none of these vaccines are produced in the country. If local vaccines are not developed, the annual cost will reach 1.2 billion dollars by 2031, which will be a major burden on the national economy.
Addressing a press conference, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that Pakistan’s population is approximately 240 million and in terms of population, Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world. Around 6.2 million children are born every year in Pakistan. The government is providing 13 types of vaccines free of cost to citizens, but none of these are manufactured locally.
He said that the Government of Pakistan imports these vaccines with the cooperation of international organizations, which costs about 400 million US dollars annually. International partners cover 49 percent of the vaccine cost, while 51 percent is borne by the government itself, which reduces the financial burden on the government to some extent.
Mustafa Kamal warned that after 2031, assistance from international partners will end. If local vaccines are not produced, the annual cost will rise to 1.2 billion dollars by 2031, which will be a major burden on the national economy. We have started work without waiting for 2031.
He said that during the war, vaccines stopped coming to Pakistan. We obtain vaccines through Gavi, which used to come from India. In the near future, Pakistan will be capable of producing vaccines itself. Saudi Arabia has been working on vaccines for 10 years and Indonesia is producing two million doses annually.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that we are a nuclear power. If we can make JF-17 aircraft, we can also make vaccines.
