A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination to review progress on decisions taken during recent engagements at the World Health Assembly. The Federal Secretary for Health, Additional Secretary, the CEOs of DRAP and the National Institute of Health and senior ministry officials attended and briefed the minister on ongoing initiatives and international commitments.
The meeting included a detailed review of local vaccine manufacturing efforts. The minister directed that all necessary steps be taken to finalise an agreement with Indonesia for vaccine production, describing Indonesia as Pakistan’s leading partner in this field and urging further strengthening of that collaboration. He instructed DRAP and the National Institute of Health to accelerate regulatory and technical processes so that Vaccine Production at the local level can proceed swiftly and the country can move toward health sector self-reliance. Officials noted that local production for thirteen major diseases has become an unavoidable necessity and discussed future funding for vaccine programmes under the Gavi framework.
Progress on the National Health Support Programme was also examined, with the minister describing it as a flagship initiative aimed at improving and expanding quality healthcare services across the country. The meeting stressed coordination between regulators, manufacturers and public health institutions to deliver on commitments made internationally and domestically.
A separate review meeting chaired by Mustafa Kamal focused on the ongoing Hepatitis C elimination pilot project in Islamabad. The Federal Secretary for Health, heads of major hospitals and the District Health Officer Islamabad attended to brief the minister on screening progress, operational bottlenecks and outreach strategies. The minister reiterated that Pakistan bears a very high burden of Hepatitis C and reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to elimination.
The minister directed that efforts for Hepatitis C elimination be accelerated with maximum screening coverage and intensified public awareness campaigns so more people come forward for testing. He urged hospital heads to step up screening, ensure timely treatment for those who test positive and prioritise preventive measures. Authorities were asked to mobilise outreach and remove operational barriers so designated health facilities in Islamabad can provide free testing services, stressing that the programme’s success depends on sustained public cooperation and coordinated action at all levels.
