Pakistan is accelerating its efforts toward self-reliance in the health sector, particularly in vaccine production, the country’s Health Ministry spokesperson said.
In line with this goal, an 11-member high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Pakistan today to explore collaboration on local vaccine manufacturing. The visit comes after Health Minister Mustafa Kamal held three meetings with his Saudi counterpart over the past seven months to discuss investment, technical cooperation, and the domestic production of vaccines.
Minister Kamal also met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry, where progress was made on pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial collaboration, and technical cooperation. Both sides appointed focal persons to oversee the initiatives: Dr. Ubaid, CEO of Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP), represents Pakistan, while Nizar Y. Al-Hariri, Senior Advisor to the Saudi Minister of Industries, represents Saudi Arabia.
According to Kamal, six detailed meetings have already been held between the DRAP CEO and the Saudi advisor to advance plans for local vaccine production. He emphasized that producing vaccines domestically will meet the country’s health needs and reduce dependency on imports.
“The government is fully committed to establishing a robust local vaccine manufacturing capability that can serve the nation’s requirements,” Kamal said.