Seven firms challenge BHS contract for Hajj and Umrah vaccinations

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has issued notices to the respondents on a petition challenging the award of a vaccination services contract for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims by the Border Health Services (BHS), with the petitioners alleging that a single-bid tender is leading to a charge of about Rs 4,500 per person.

Seven pharmaceutical and vaccine companies have challenged the procurement conducted by Border Health Services (BHS) and the award of the contract to Pharma Connect. The petitioners are Gesundheit Concerns, Amson Vaccines & Pharma, Immuno Well, Hoffmann Human Health Pakistan, Hospital Services & Sales, 3A Diagnostics and Immunonet Pharma.

The court has fixed the matter for October 15 and asked the Deputy Attorney General to bring the relevant procurement record at the next hearing, counsel for the petitioners Irfan Memon said.

The petition names the Federation of Pakistan, BHS, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, the Public-Private Partnership Authority, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Pharma Connect as respondents. The first five companies are represented by Sarwar Khan and the remaining two by Jawad Malik, according to the petition.

The petitioners allege that the tender was advertised in only one newspaper, Daily Nai Baat, and that Pharma Connect was the sole bidder. They contend the opportunity should also have been advertised on the PPRA website and in at least two widely circulated national newspapers, one in English and one in Urdu, under the procurement rules they cite. The companies say they are licensed businesses in the sector but were not given a fair opportunity to compete.

Irfan Memon said serious violations of the PPRA rules had been committed during the tender process and that there had been no fair competition. The petition also questions the tender documents, alleging that they did not state the required vaccine quantities or payment mechanism. The companies say they were not provided with the technical and financial bids or the final evaluation report.

The petitioners further argue that the tender described the process as the selection of a “private partner” while also invoking open competitive bidding. They have asked the court to examine whether the arrangement qualified as a public-private partnership and whether the required approvals were obtained.

The petition says the contract covers meningococcal and influenza vaccination services at designated airports, seaports and land crossings, with about Rs4,500 to be charged per pilgrim. It compares this with a previous Hajj arrangement, which it says cost Rs1,250 per person for a single vaccine dose in 2026. Elsewhere, it cites an earlier rate of about Rs2,400 but does not explain whether that figure covers the same vaccine or service package.

The companies have asked the court to summon the complete procurement record and suspend the contract and collection of charges while the case is pending. The court has not ruled on the allegations.

A September 24 report in The News said Saudi Arabia’s Umrah health requirements for 1447H (2026) require meningococcal and polio vaccination for pilgrims from Pakistan but do not list seasonal influenza vaccination as mandatory. It reported that BHS was collecting Rs4,500 for three vaccines, including polio drops and an influenza shot, and a NADRA-linked certificate; polio vaccine is provided free through Pakistan’s public immunisation programmes.