Islamabad : Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, visited the Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI) to review its operations, performance, achievements and challenges faced by the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The Minister was accompanied by Health Secretary, Syed Waqar ul Hassan according to the official spokesperson of the Ministry of Health.
During the visit, Director General of FDI, Dr. Soofia Yunus, briefed the Minister on the functions of the Directorate, highlighting the key role of the immunization program in preventing 12 deadly vaccine preventable diseases across the country. The DG, FDI also shared that over 9,000 health centers nationwide are engaged in delivering routine immunizations.
Recognizing the importance of an effective vaccination program, Minister Mustafa Kamal instructed that vacant positions within the program should be advertised immediately and filled with qualified and competent professionals through a transparent recruitment process.
“To ensure the success of the vaccination program, the appointment of skilled professionals is crucial,” the Minister emphasized.
“We must evaluate the challenges and formulate practical recommendations to strengthen the program.”
He also announced plans to engage with provincial health ministers to build a unified and robust approach to immunization and directed the teams to share challenges that the Minister will be discussing with health ministers for strengthening the Expanded Programme on Immunization.
The Federal Minister for Health, Mr. Mustafa Kamal shared his vision of a transformative shift in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) by advocating for a model where the responsibility, interest and ownership to seek out immunization services lies with parents and caregivers, who are encouraged to visit government health facilities proactively.
Under this new direction, the emphasis will be on empowering and mobilizing communities to take initiative in accessing vaccines, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. Mr. Kamal believes that this approach will enhance public awareness, strengthen demand, and increase accountability for routine immunization. By encouraging families to engage actively with the health system, he aims to improve service quality, boost vaccination coverage, and instill long-term health-seeking behavior, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and sustainable national immunization program.
Later, Minister Kamal also visited FDI’s 1166 Sehat Tahaffuz Free Helpline and the Vaccine Logistics Management Information System (vLMIS) Control Room, where he received a detailed briefing on their operations. He issued directives for further improvement of the systems to enhance service delivery. In this regard, the Minister stated that reviewing our existing strategy and learning from our mistakes is an opportunity for us. Hence, FDI Team is directed to redevelop a strategy in 15 days that shall lead us towards our ultimate immunization goal.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
