PM Orders Pilgrim Vaccine Probe into Hajj and Umrah Vaccine Procurement, Gives Committee 48 Hours to Report

Islamabad: The money being charged to pilgrims in the name of vaccination has now reached the Prime Minister’s Office. In a pilgrim vaccine probe ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a high-level committee will look into alleged irregularities in the Border Health Services procurement of meningococcal and influenza vaccines, and it has been given just 48 hours to submit its findings.

Who is on the committee?

Under the October 16 notification, the Cabinet Secretary heads the five-member body. Its members include the Director General of the Intelligence Bureau, the chief executive of the Drug Regulatory Authority, a representative of the Attorney General’s Office and the Managing Director of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, who will also act as its secretary. The committee was to hold its first meeting in Islamabad on Saturday morning, reviewing the whole procurement process, the vaccine prices and the financial arrangements, and recording statements from the officials concerned.

Where did the dispute begin?

The affair heated up when seven pharmaceutical and vaccine companies challenged the contract in the Islamabad High Court. The petitioners allege the tender drew only one bidder and that eligible firms were denied a fair chance, and they question whether the arrangement legally qualifies as a public-private partnership at all. The court has issued notices and called for the record, so the allegations remain for the judges to decide. According to the petitioners, pilgrims are now being charged around Rs4,500 a head, against roughly Rs1,250 earlier. Officials have also pointed out that Saudi Arabia has not made the influenza vaccine mandatory for Umrah pilgrims.