Pakistan, Türkiye discuss cooperation in health sector

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Türkiye discussed bilateral cooperation in the health sector and agreed to further strengthen technical cooperation.

This was stated by the Federal Minister for National Health Services and Regulations, Mustafa Kamal, on Tuesday during a meeting with a high-level Turkish technical delegation visiting Pakistan to explore new areas of bilateral collaboration.

The visit of the Turkish delegation aims to explore new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in Pakistan’s health sector, particularly in the areas of vaccine manufacturing, healthcare technology, regulatory systems and capacity building.

The delegation will assess Pakistan’s capabilities and potential for local vaccine production and explore new avenues of cooperation to further enhance the experience, expertise, capacities and technologies available in the health sector.

Kamal said that the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Türkiye are longstanding and based on strong foundations. He emphasized that Pakistan attaches special importance to expanding cooperation with Türkiye in the health sector.

The minister said Pakistan is pursuing a broad agenda aimed at self-reliance and sustainability in the health system, adding that effective progress is being made towards establishing local vaccine manufacturing capabilities. He said Pakistan has, for the first time, formulated a National Vaccine Policy as part of its efforts to strengthen the country’s vaccine security and reduce dependence on imports.

Kamal said Pakistan currently provides citizens with 13 types of vaccines free of charge under the national immunization programme. However, none of these vaccines is currently manufactured domestically, and all are imported from abroad.He said that the country imports these vaccines with the support of international organizations, with Pakistan bearing 51 percent of the cost while international partners cover the remaining 49 percent. He noted that external support is expected to phase out completely by 2030/2031, making the establishment of local vaccine manufacturing capacity imperative.

The Minister said that once international support ends, Pakistan will have to bear the full cost of its vaccine requirements, estimated at approximately US$1.2 billion annually. In this context, he stressed that developing domestic vaccine production is no longer merely an option but an essential national priority.He further stated that Pakistan has entered into agreements with an Indonesian biopharmaceutical company for the local production of vaccines, describing the initiative as an important step towards achieving greater self-reliance in vaccine manufacturing.

Discussing regulatory reforms, Kamal said that 90 percent of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has been digitized, significantly improving the efficiency and transparency of regulatory processes. He added that DRAP is expected to achieve WHO Maturity Level 3 by April 2027, marking an important milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s pharmaceutical regulatory framework.

The Minister also highlighted the need for a comprehensive universal medical record system in Pakistan. He said that currently there is no universal medical record for patients across the country.

He said that the government of Pakistan has launched a new initiative under which every citizen’s national identity card number will serve as their medical record number, enabling the development of a unified and accessible health record system.

The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss areas of mutual interest and identify practical avenues for enhanced technical collaboration. The two countries agreed to continue working together to leverage their respective expertise, technologies and institutional capacities for the development of a more resilient, sustainable and self-reliant health system in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026