India Stops Vaccine Supply To Pakistan, Adds Financial Strain
- India Stops Vaccine Supply to Pakistan after Operation Sindoor
- India Stops Vaccine Supply to Pakistan, raising health costs
India has stopped the supply of cost effective vaccines to Pakistan, adding to the country’s existing financial stress. Hyderabad: Another burden has fallen on Pakistan, which is already facing serious economic difficulties, after India stopped the supply of cost effective vaccines to the country.
According to the input, India took this step after conducting Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack last year. Later, India stopped the supply of vaccines to Pakistan. Until then, India had been supplying low cost and quality vaccines to Pakistan through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, also known as Gavi. However, with the supply now halted, Pakistan has begun importing vaccines from other countries.
As a result, Pakistan is now spending about Rs. 10 thousand crores every year on vaccine imports. This spending has placed a heavy burden on the country’s finances. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Health Minister Mustafa Kamal openly spoke about the issue. He said that spending such a large amount on vaccines has become a burden beyond the country’s capacity. However, he also said that there is some relief because 49 percent of the Rs. 10,000 crore is being spent by various international organizations operating through Gavi.
The minister further said that Pakistan must now focus on producing vaccines on its own. He warned that if local production does not begin, the situation in the country will worsen. He also said that the agreements with countries supplying vaccines will be completed by 2031. Therefore, Pakistan cannot depend on external support forever.
Meanwhile, Mustafa Kamal acknowledged India’s past role in supporting Pakistan’s vaccine needs. He explained that Pakistan received a large quantity of quality vaccines from India at low prices through Gavi. He also revealed that India supplied Covax vaccines to Pakistan during the Covid period. At present, he said, only 13 types of vaccines are provided free of cost to citizens, and none of them are manufactured locally.
Overall, the decision by India to stop the vaccine supply has added pressure on Pakistan’s health system and finances. At the same time, it has pushed Pakistan to consider local vaccine production as a long term solution.
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