Umrah and Hajj vaccines: health ministry scraps Border Health tender, pilgrims to get shots via travel agents for now
The meningitis and flu vaccine contract for pilgrims and overseas job seekers is cancelled after an inquiry found the cost had risen to about Rs 4,500 a pilgrim. A new tender is due within a month.
The federal health ministry has cancelled the contract under which Border Health Services (BHS) vaccinated Umrah and Hajj pilgrims and Pakistanis going abroad for work against meningococcal meningitis and influenza, and will float a fresh tender within a month, Dawn reported on Thursday. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed the halt.
What it means if you are travelling
Until the new contract is in place, pilgrims have to arrange the mandatory vaccinations through their travel agents, according to the ministry. The meningitis vaccine is compulsory for Saudi Arabia, and the certificate is checked before travel, so ask your agent now where and when the shots will be given and keep the certificate with your passport. The Pak ID app can also show a verified vaccination record (our story on Pak ID 5.8.0).
Why the tender was scrapped
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry into BHS. A five-member committee chaired by the Cabinet Division secretary, with the Intelligence Bureau chief, DRAP's chief executive, PPRA's managing director and a representative of the Attorney General's Office, found serious flaws and financial irregularities in a public-private partnership contract awarded earlier. Dawn's account of the findings:
- The new arrangement was alleged to have pushed the cost to about Rs 4,500 a pilgrim, against about Rs 1,250 a dose under the previous arrangement.
- The ministry formed a six-member procurement committee on 9 May, but BHS formed its own committee on 10 June and floated the tender independently.
- PPRA rules were applied to what was a public-private partnership tender, which should have followed the Public Private Partnership Authority's rules.
- Seven companies went to the Islamabad High Court over the bidding, and BHS officials involved in the tender have been arrested.
Under the scheme, the private company bought the vaccine and payments went into a NADRA account, which deducted its fee and split the rest between BHS and the company. A senior official told Dawn that no public money was spent.
What a dose has cost
| Year | Meningitis vaccine (per dose) | Influenza vaccine (per dose) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rs 2,550 | |
| 2023 | Rs 2,476 | |
| 2024 | Rs 2,244 | Rs 1,670 |
| 2025 | Rs 2,555 | Rs 1,426 |
| 2026 | about Rs 1,250 |
The 2026 rate fell because a company secured cheaper stock; the maximum retail price is around Rs 1,300.
Going abroad for work as well? Check passport costs with our passport fee calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do Umrah pilgrims get the meningitis vaccine now?
- Until the health ministry floats a new tender, expected within a month, pilgrims have to arrange the mandatory vaccinations through their travel agents.
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