ISLAMABAD: A high-level Saudi delegation is arriving in Pakistan today, Monday, to give practical shape to local vaccine manufacturing in Pakistan, the health ministry said in a statement amid Islamabad’s push to meet its national immunization needs. 

The eleven-member Saudi delegation’s visit marks a “critical milestone” in strengthening bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in health, pharmaceutical manufacturing and industrial collaboration, the ministry said. 

It added that the development takes place after Pakistan Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal held three meetings with his Saudi counterpart over the past seven months in which both sides discussed local vaccine manufacturing, investment opportunities and technical cooperation. Kamal also met Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry to discuss the same. Both sides designated focal persons to ensure effective coordination and follow-up after the meetings. 

“The visit of the high-level Saudi delegation is expected to prove a decisive step toward giving practical shape to the process of local vaccine manufacturing in Pakistan,” Kamal was quoted as saying by the health ministry. 

The Pakistani health minister reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to establishing local vaccine production facilities, stating that domestic manufacturing will not only meet Pakistan’s national immunization needs but will also enable surplus production for export. 

This, he said, would contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth and national stability.

“Ensuring the availability of safe, high-quality vaccines for the public remains the government’s top priority, ” the minister said. 

Since Pakistan does not produce vaccines locally, it has to import them from other countries. Producing vaccines will help the South Asian country save valuable foreign exchange and avoid longer procurement delays as it seeks to inoculate its population against various diseases. 

Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, regularly holds national immunization campaigns against diseases such as polio, measles, rubella and hepatitis.