Health ministry orders probe into meningitis vaccine overpricing for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s federal health ministry has launched an inquiry into allegations that meningitis vaccines meant for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims were sold at nearly double their approved price, announcing a high-level committee to investigate the matter.

The committee will be headed by the additional secretary for health and will include the vice chancellor of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, the ministry’s director general (health), and a representative of the Intelligence Bureau. It has been directed to submit its findings within seven days.

The price gap is stark: the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had fixed the vaccine’s price at Rs1,356 per dose, yet the Ministry of Religious Affairs was supplied at Rs2,555 per dose — Rs1,199, or nearly 88 per cent, above the approved rate.

Records from 2022 to 2026 under review
The inquiry will examine procurement and pricing records from 2022 to 2026 to determine whether companies charged more than the prices fixed or approved by DRAP, and whether there was any justification for the increase. It will also establish whether DRAP and relevant officials failed to prevent the sale of vaccines at excessive prices.

The probe comes as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has already arrested three officials of Border Health Services-Pakistan in a separate case involving alleged irregularities in the procurement of vaccines for Umrah pilgrims. The health ministry’s committee is expected to look closely at the role of regulators and the arrangements through which the vaccine reached pilgrims.

Health experts note that the meningococcal vaccine is mandatory for pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia, so any price inflation falls directly on ordinary pilgrims. The committee’s report is due by October 29, after which action against those found responsible will be decided.