Health minister denies vaccine scam allegations

ISLAMABAD BUREAU —• Says no public money lost in procurement controversy • Claims Rs183 million collected from applicants remains in Nadra’s account ISLAMABAD: Amid allegations of irregularities in vaccine procurement, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday claimed that not a single rupee of public money had been lost in the controversy surrounding the procurement of vaccines for Umrah pilgrims.

He said a private company had purchased the vaccines, while the entire amount collected for the purpose, amounting to Rs183 million, remained deposited in a National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) account. Addressing a press conference, the minister said he wanted to present the facts before the nation following a week-long controversy over the vaccine procurement process.

He said the health ministry would upload the inquiry report on its website to ensure transparency. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered an inquiry into the procurement of meningococcal meningitis and influenza vaccines by Border Health Services-Pakistan (BHS) under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement for pilgrims and overseas job seekers.

It was alleged that the previous vaccination arrangement involved a cost of around Rs1,250 per dose per person, whereas the amount under the new arrangement was approximately Rs4,500 per pilgrim. The prime minister had constituted a five-member committee, headed by the secretary of the Cabinet Division, to examine the procurement process and determine whether it complied with the relevant rules and procedures.

Mr Kamal explained that BHS had approached the ministry regarding vaccination requirements for people travelling abroad for Umrah. The ministry constituted a procurement committee on May 9 and also established a grievance committee, headed by the director general of health, to address complaints. However, he claimed that BHS officials subsequently formed their own committees, including procurement and appellate committees, bypassing the ministry’s arrangements and violating prescribed procedures.

The minister said the inquiry found that BHS officials had bypassed the Ministry of Health and violated Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. Nadra was also brought into the process through a public-private partnership arrangement, with payments deposited into its account. He said the inquiry held BHS officials, members of the procurement committee and a subsequent director responsible for endorsing the process.

He added that the ministry had implemented all the recommendations of the inquiry committee and would constitute a new procurement committee. Mr Kamal said the Prime Minister’s Office had also directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take action, following which the officials concerned were arrested and sent to jail.

Rejecting social media claims of Rs10 billion in corruption, he said the Rs183 million collected from applicants remained in Nadra’s account. Neither the government nor the company supplying the vaccines had received any payment, he added. He claimed that the government had suffered no financial loss, although the vaccine supplier had incurred losses after procuring the vaccines while the collected amount remained deposited in Nadra’s account.

Published in National News Pakistan, November 11th, 2026