Mustafa Kamal says cervical cancer vaccine introduced despite significant challenges

ISLAMABAD, Jun 02 (APP): Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal highlighted the government’s efforts to introduce the cervical cancer vaccine in Pakistan.

“The cervical cancer vaccine has been launched with great difficulty in Pakistan,” the minister stated.

The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination met at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Aamir Waliuddin Chishti to review critical matters related to healthcare governance, rehabilitation services, medical regulation, public health policy and institutional performance, said a press release on Tuesday.

Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, Senator Nadeem Bhutto and Senator Sarmad Ali attended the meeting. The Federal Minister for National Health Services and the Secretary Health also attended the meeting, while senior officials from relevant institutions briefed the committee.

The Health minister informed the committee that resistance was encountered during the awareness campaign and noted that schools and parents had withdrawn support during certain stages of the initiative.

Referring to international support for the initiative, the minister stated, “This case was a simple one, WHO gave green signals.”

Highlighting the need for stronger public awareness efforts, the minister observed,

The Federal Health Minister also expressed concern over maternal health indicators in the country and informed the committee that approximately 11,000 women lose their lives during pregnancy-related complications every year.

“Eleven thousand mothers lose their lives during pregnancy every year,” the minister stated.

He further noted, “No other country in the world has such a large number of mothers dying during pregnancy.”

The committee emphasized the need for aggressive public health awareness campaigns, maternal health interventions and improved vaccination outreach to address preventable health challenges.

During the briefing on the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM), the Executive Director informed the committee that the institute provides comprehensive rehabilitation services, including treatment for persons with disabilities, training of accompanying doctors, outdoor and indoor patient services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and related rehabilitation facilities.

The committee was informed that NIRM was established in 1998 when Islamabad’s population stood at approximately 1.94 million. It was highlighted that the capital’s population has now reached 3.5 million in 2026, significantly increasing the demand for rehabilitation and healthcare services. The Executive Director stated that the institute serves not only patients from Islamabad but also receives patients from other provinces across the country.

The committee was informed that NIRM had been allocated a budget of Rs641.879 million, of which approximately 70 percent had been utilized so far.

During the discussion on service delivery and patient care, the Executive Director informed members that while treatment is provided free of cost to many patients, certain categories are charged according to applicable procedures.

Expressing concern over equitable access to healthcare, Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan observed, “It was observed that those who can afford it get facilities, while the rest are left with the same fate.”

Committee members sought details regarding the fee structure and asked how much patients were being charged for services.

Committee member Senator Nadeem Ahmed sought detailed data regarding the number of patients treated during the last five years, while members also requested a breakdown of budget utilization over the previous four years.

The committee directed the ministry and NIRM administration to provide comprehensive data regarding patient treatment, service delivery, financial utilization and institutional performance.

The committee also received a detailed briefing on the performance of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s Disciplinary Committee.

Members were informed that 498 complaints have so far been registered before the PM&DC Disciplinary Committee. The briefing further revealed that licenses of 114 doctors have been suspended following disciplinary proceedings.

Officials informed the committee that licenses of several doctors involved in illegally performing Caesarean section procedures had also been suspended.

Taking serious notice of professional misconduct cases, the committee sought a complete list of suspended doctors and directed PM&DC to provide detailed information regarding disciplinary actions, implementation status and pending cases.

The committee further reviewed matters relating to disciplinary proceedings, pending complaints, foreign and local medical graduate licensing cases and the legal powers governing the constitution and oversight of PM&DC committees.

During a separate briefing by the Vice Chancellor of the Health Services Academy, the committee reviewed the academy’s academic performance, research output and institutional achievements.

The committee was informed that the Health Services Academy is ranked among the top 15 institutions recognized by the Higher Education Commission.

According to the briefing, HSA has published 398 research journals and publications to date, reflecting its growing contribution to public health research and policy development.

The academy further informed the committee that more than 4,000 diplomas have been awarded across various academic and professional programmes.

During the discussion, Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan stressed the importance of recognizing achievements across all provinces

The committee also reviewed HSA’s research publications, international collaborations, foreign-funded projects, donor assistance programmes, professional training initiatives, PhD programmes and contributions to national health policy and public health interventions.

The committee also took up further consideration of the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (Regulation) Bill, 2025, moved by Senator Sarmad Ali, aimed at regulating the use, sale and distribution of electronic vaping products in Pakistan, particularly among minors.

During deliberations on the proposed legislation, Senator Sarmad Ali emphasized the need to protect young people from the growing use of vaping products and stated, “I want children under the age of eighteen not to use vapes.”

Senator Sarmad Ali informed the committee that the proposed legislation had been referred to the Ministries of Law and Finance after objections were raised regarding its financial implications.

“My bill has been sent to the Ministry of Law and Finance with objections to financial matters,” Senator Sarmad Ali told the committee.

Responding to the concerns, Senator Mustafa Kamal explained that existing procedures require private members’ legislation involving financial implications to undergo additional scrutiny.

“As per the instructions of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, any private member’s bill will be sent to the Cabinet,” Senator Mustafa Kamal stated.

During the discussion, Senator Mustafa Kamal highlighted the technical and regulatory requirements associated with enforcing vape regulations and observed that adequate testing mechanisms would be required for implementation.

“We will have to build a laboratory for testing vapes,” Senator Mustafa Kamal said.

He further noted that the financial implications attached to the proposed legislation necessitated consultation with relevant authorities.

“Due to financial issues, this bill will have to be sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet,” he added.

After deliberations, the committee decided to summon officials from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to its next meeting to clarify the legislative process and address concerns raised by members regarding the handling of the proposed bill.

The committee reiterated its commitment to strengthening public health safeguards and ensuring that appropriate regulatory mechanisms are put in place to protect children and adolescents from the harmful effects of nicotine-based products.

The Chairman noted with concern that the directives regarding formula milk issued during the last Senate Committee meeting have not yet been complied with. The Committee directed the relevant stakeholders to implement the decisions without further delay.

The Chairman reiterated the Committee’s concern over the persistent increase in medicine prices and stressed the need for coordinated action with the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP). He stated that the Committee would call the CCP in the next meeting to brief the Committee on its findings and submit recommendations regarding the factors contributing to the increase in medicine prices.