The federal government has scrapped the vaccination tender for Umrah pilgrims and overseas travellers after a high-level inquiry ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif uncovered serious flaws and alleged financial irregularities in a contract awarded by Border Health Services (BHS). The Ministry of National Health Services confirmed on Thursday that the current vaccination arrangement has been dismantled, three officials have been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and a fresh tender will be issued within a month.
The contract covered meningococcal meningitis and influenza vaccines given to Umrah pilgrims and Pakistanis travelling abroad for work. Under the new arrangement, travellers were being charged roughly Rs4,500 per dose — a sharp jump from about Rs1,250 under the earlier rate — triggering complaints from pilgrims and questions from health experts.
What the inquiry found
The five-year contract was awarded to a single bidder, M/s Pharma Connect, without a market survey, independent cost estimates or a proper comparison of vaccine prices, investigators allege. The contract set the price at Rs3,475 per complete vaccination package, while the combined maximum retail price notified by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for the same vaccines was Rs2,660.
The FIA estimates that the difference could cost the national exchequer around Rs2.445 billion over the contract period. Investigators also allege the firm was declared technically responsive despite lacking a mandatory DRAP licence — a claim the company has not publicly addressed. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that the inquiry had found financial irregularities in the public-private partnership contract.
Parallel committees and a court challenge
The inquiry found that BHS bypassed the ministry’s approved process. The health ministry had formed a six-member procurement committee on May 9, but BHS formed its own separate committee on June 10 and went ahead with the tender without properly informing the ministry, setting up parallel procurement and grievance committees.
The bidding itself is now before the courts: seven companies challenged the process in the Islamabad High Court, alleging irregularities in how the contract was awarded. Officials have also questioned whether the deal should have been handled under Public Private Partnership Authority rules rather than standard public procurement regulations.
Three officials arrested
The FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle arrested three serving and former BHS officials in a case registered as FIR 61/2026. Those arrested include Dr Abid Hussain Shah, the director of Border Health Services Pakistan; former director Dr Pardeep Kumar; and medical officer Dr Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah, who was the focal person for international vaccination services.
The three were produced before a judicial magistrate in Islamabad, who granted the FIA seven days of physical remand for further investigation. The action followed the prime minister’s order of an inquiry on October 17, with the inquiry panel recommending that the procurement be cancelled and restarted. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established by a court; all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A second probe into meningitis vaccine overpricing
Separately, the health ministry has set up its own inquiry committee to examine the supply of meningitis vaccine to the Ministry of Religious Affairs between 2022 and 2026. That committee, headed by the additional health secretary, was due to report by October 29. It is examining how a meningitis vaccine with a DRAP-approved price of Rs1,356 was supplied to the ministry at Rs2,555 in 2025 — about 88 per cent above the approved price.
What it means for pilgrims
The dismantling of the BHS vaccination framework has caused short-term disruption. The international travellers’ vaccination counter at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport was disrupted during the FIA action, and the enforcement of designated mandatory vaccination and pre-departure health verification requirements for Umrah pilgrims has been deferred until November 20, 2026.
Pilgrims and overseas job seekers have been advised to arrange their mandatory vaccinations directly through their travel agents until a replacement tender is issued. Public health officials have also warned travellers to be cautious of fake or improperly stored vaccines, urging them to verify batch numbers, manufacturing dates and refrigeration status before purchase. A nationwide shortage of seasonal influenza vaccines has further limited supply, with Chinese-made vaccines already exhausted in retail markets.
With two parallel inquiries now running and a fresh tender promised within a month, the episode has become one of the biggest corruption probes in the health sector this year — and a warning for pilgrims already facing rising travel costs.
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