Pakistan, Indonesia tie up to boost vaccine self-reliance

January 19, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Indonesia are exploring collaboration to expand local vaccine manufacturing and strengthen public health security.

The talks focused on establishing practical frameworks for domestic vaccine production, reduced reliance on imports, and ensuring timely access to safe, high-quality vaccines.

The discussions covered technology transfer and capacity-building initiatives between the two countries' vaccine institutions.

The initiative is part of Pakistan's broader push toward vaccine self-reliance and developing a sustainable national vaccine ecosystem. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal met with Shadiq Akasya, President Director of Bio Farma, Indonesia's state-owned vaccine producer, in Jakarta to advance these goals.

Currently, Pakistan depends heavily on imported vaccines, with local production largely limited to basic formulation and packaging.

The country’s annual vaccine demand is estimated at 125–150m doses, a figure that is expected to grow as population and immunization programs expand. Bio Farma, which produces billions of vaccine doses annually for domestic and international markets, is seen as a strategic partner for Pakistan in developing end-to-end manufacturing capacity.

The health minister emphasized that cooperation through technology transfer, capacity enhancement, and joint initiatives could accelerate Pakistan’s ability to produce vaccines domestically, according to the press release.

Indonesia’s expertise in large-scale vaccine manufacturing is expected to guide Pakistan in establishing its own facilities.

The collaboration is also expected to deepen bilateral health cooperation between the two countries while supporting Pakistan’s long-term goal of ensuring vaccine security and strengthening the public healthcare system.

Concrete steps and timelines for implementation are reportedly being finalized.

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