Childhood vaccines: 397,000 children received no vaccination: Mustafa

ISLAMABAD: Around 397,000 children in Pakistan have not received even a single dose of any of the 13 routine childhood vaccines, while another 463,000 have received only a few shots, putting them at serious risk of vaccine preventable diseases and future hospitalisation, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal warned on Friday as 118 mobile vaccination vans were dispatched to provinces to boost coverage.

Speaking at the Federal Directorate of Immunisation in Islamabad, he said routine immunisation must become a national priority because children who complete their vaccination schedule are protected against 13 dangerous diseases.

He urged parents to ensure full vaccination, saying many families still treat it casually despite the risk of lifelong disability and death from preventable illnesses. He cautioned that if millions of children continue to miss vaccines, the country’s hospitals will be overwhelmed. “We should not wait for patients to reach hospitals. Our job is to keep people healthy and prevent sickness. If vaccination remains incomplete at this scale, our hospitals will be full,” he said.

Mustafa linked weak immunisation to rising poverty, saying that around 13 million Pakistanis have slipped below the poverty line due to illness and treatment costs. He said families often sell homes, household items and lifelong savings to pay for medical care. “Vaccination also protects families from poverty. Disease pushes people into debt and destroys their stability,” he said.

He reminded the audience how Covid exposed weaknesses in even the strongest health systems. “During the pandemic, the United States, China and developed countries could not cope. Health systems collapsed. Covid taught us that treatment alone is not a solution. Prevention is the right strategy,” he said.

He said Pakistan’s population of around 240 million continues to grow fast, with about 6.5 million births each year. He said no number of hospitals could absorb the disease burden if preventive health continues to be ignored.

“Even if hospitals are built on every street corner, treatment needs will not be met. Our focus must be on protecting every child before they fall sick,” he said, adding that the 118 mobile vaccination vans, handed over to provinces at the ceremony, are meant to reach children in remote and low income areas, who miss routine visits due to distance, lack of transport or household constraints. Keys were handed to representatives from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, along with Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister said one van each for Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK was not enough and proposed allocating five vehicles based on need to ensure no community remains underserved. He added that some cities have 53 vans while others have 40, and distribution will be reviewed to improve equity.

He advised parents to call the national helpline 1166 if vaccination teams do not reach their neighbourhood so the service can be sent to their doorstep. “If our team has not reached an area, parents should contact us directly. We will try to reach every child,” he said.

Mustafa said the government is committed to easing the hardships of families struggling with illness but warned that the state alone cannot change the system. He urged parents, communities, religious leaders and local influencers to take responsibility for a healthier society.

He said every act done with sincerity to protect children’s health is an act of service. Pakistan leads the region in population growth. Each year the population increases by the size of New Zealand’s population, which adds immense pressure on the health system. People must recognise that children’s health is not only the government’s duty but a shared responsibility.

“We are working with honesty within our capacity to reduce people’s suffering,” he said. “But the community must stand with us. We must not wait for hospitals to fill with sick people. We must keep our children safe from disease.”