During a high-level meeting in Geneva, the Federal Minister for Health of Pakistan reiterated the government’s strong commitment to improving child health through enhanced immunization coverage, describing it as a top national priority. The Minister praised Dr. Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for her leadership and acknowledged Gavi’s ongoing support for Pakistan’s vaccination programmes.
The Minister informed Dr. Nishtar that the National Vaccine Policy has now been formally approved and that the government is moving ahead with its implementation across the country. He highlighted plans to engage partner countries including Indonesia, China and Saudi Arabia to draw on their expertise in vaccine development and production, while requesting Gavi’s technical guidance to bolster Pakistan’s local vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Emphasising the role of public trust in successful immunization campaigns, the Minister noted that past limitations in communication contributed to resistance during the initial HPV vaccination drive. To restore confidence, he personally vaccinated his daughter as a public demonstration of faith in the vaccine, an action that the government said helped lift acceptance rates to nearly 80 percent. He urged greater transparency among partner organisations and called for well-designed media campaigns to support the second phase of HPV vaccination.
The Minister also underscored Pakistan’s consistent fulfilment of co-financing commitments to Gavi as evidence of strong ownership and a dedication to the long-term sustainability of immunisation programmes. Looking ahead, he outlined a country-led consultative process for the transition to Gavi 6.0 reprogramming, with a renewed strategic focus on reaching zero-dose children and closing immunity gaps.
On vaccine introduction, Pakistan requested Gavi’s support to pilot the hexavalent vaccine in hard-to-reach and underserved areas to assess its effectiveness and inform a potential transition from pentavalent to hexavalent products. The Minister said a decision on closer integration between the Polio Eradication Initiative and the Expanded Programme on Immunization will be made by mid-2027, and noted that key leadership positions have been filled to strengthen programme performance.
Dr. Sania Nishtar reaffirmed that Pakistan remains a priority country for Gavi and assured continued support for efforts to expand immunization coverage and tackle community resistance through transparent, well-structured communication strategies. She also agreed to back the proposed hexavalent pilot in difficult-to-reach locations and commended Pakistan’s co-financing record as a positive sign of sustained government commitment.
