No public funds lost in disputed vaccine procurement: Kamal

ISLAMABAD, Nov 10 (APP): Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday said that no public funds had been lost in the disputed vaccine procurement process.

Addressing a press conference, the minister clarified that Rs183.055 million had been deposited in a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) account and that the company concerned had not received any payment so far.

Kamal said, “I want to present the facts before the nation amid reports and allegations circulating over the past week regarding the vaccine procurement issue involving the Ministry of National Health Services.”

He said the matter originated when the Border Health Services (BHS) approached the ministry regarding arrangements for people travelling abroad for Umrah. Following directions from the Prime Minister’s Office, the ministry was formally approached to take necessary action.

Mustafa Kamal said the ministry had constituted a procurement committee on May 9, along with a grievance committee headed by the Director General of Health, to address complaints from concerned parties.

However, he alleged that BHS officials subsequently formed their own committees, including procurement and objection committees, bypassing the mechanism established by the ministry.

He said the matter later reached the court, following which the Prime Minister constituted an inquiry committee. A high-powered committee subsequently examined the process and identified several irregularities.

According to the minister, the inquiry found that BHS officials had bypassed the Ministry of National Health Services, violated Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and sidelined the procurement committee constituted by the ministry.

He further said NADRA had been brought into the process under a public-private partnership arrangement, with the collected amount deposited in its account.

The inquiry also held the procurement committee responsible and observed that a subsequent director had endorsed the process, he added.

The minister alleged that the concerned BHS officials had proceeded without informing the minister or the ministry. He said the inquiry report would be uploaded to the ministry’s website to make its findings available to the public.

He said the government had implemented all recommendations of the inquiry committee and would constitute a new procurement committee in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

Referring to legal action, Mustafa Kamal said the Prime Minister’s Office had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take action against those found responsible, adding that the individuals concerned had been arrested and sent to jail.

Rejecting social media claims of corruption amounting to Rs10 billion, the minister reiterated that not a single rupee of public money had been spent and the company concerned had yet to receive any payment. He maintained that the government had suffered no financial loss in the matter, while the vaccine supplier had incurred the loss.