EPI purchasing: ‘Buy vaccines through open tenders’

LHC directed the Punjab Health Department to procure EPI vaccines through open tendering as per PPR and the Drugs Act.

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the Punjab Health Department to procure Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) vaccines through open tendering as per Punjab Public Procurement Rules (PPR) and the Drugs Act. The petitioner, Advocate Nayyar Hussain, had filed a public interest petition challenging the use of the polio vaccine in Punjab. Advocate Safdar argued that the MoU signed between the Punjab government and Unicef for procurement of vaccines is a dubious document because as per the MoU, Unicef, despite being a beneficiary, has refused to give a warranty of quality efficacy and potency of vaccines, which is a glaring violation of the Drugs Act, because Unicef cannot be held responsible in case of any quality concerns or adverse event.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2012.