The HPV vaccine, initially introduced in Pakistan in 2022, has now been rolled out nationwide as part of the routine immunisation programme to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer. However, vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan remains a significant public health challenge, fueled by a combination of misinformation, safety concerns, and mistrust of authorities.
In the most recent incident yesterday, the HPV vaccination team was working at a non-formal education school in the village of Ratuwal, within the jurisdiction of the Kathian Sheikhan police station, when a 55-year-old local resident entered the school and attempted to attack a female health supervisor.
According to Kathian Sheikhan’s Station House Officer (SHO) Sabir Iqbal Sindhu, the suspect “tried to attack the supervisor with a stick and by lifting a chair, threatened serious consequences and used foul language.”
He added, “The sudden attack caused a stampede in the school, and the vaccination process had to be stopped immediately.”
Statement from the Affected Supervisor
Speaking to Dawn via telephone, Health Supervisor Shamim Anjum stated that she and her team were forced to flee the school to save their lives.
She confirmed that after the incident, she submitted a written application to the Kathian Sheikhan police station, leading to a case being registered.
However, she added, “The assurance of security given by the provincial health minister after the first incident on September 25 has not been fulfilled yet, and no practical action has been taken by the police.”
The SHO verified that a case was registered on the affected woman’s complaint. The First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered under sections 186 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Police reported that action has been initiated against the suspect, who will be arrested soon.
Pattern of Violence Against Health Teams
An HPV vaccination team was also attacked in Mandi Bahauddin’s Chak No. 38 on Thursday, where a woman was beaten up by locals.
Punjab’s Provincial Health Minister, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, had taken notice of that incident and issued instructions to provide security to female health workers. However, health workers argue that given Saturday’s attack, there has been no implementation of those directives.
When a Dawn representative contacted the Chief Executive Officer of Health for Mandi Bahauddin about the issue, he declined to comment, hanging up the phone.
These repeated incidents of violence are impacting the campaign’s performance, as health workers maintain that unless they are provided with police security, it will not be possible for them to perform their duties.
Vaccination Campaign Scope
The HPV vaccination campaign is being executed in three phases: Phase 1 covered Punjab, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Islamabad Capital Territory; Phase 2 will expand to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026; and Phase 3 will reach Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027.
Phase 1 of the campaign ran from September 15–27. The goal is to vaccinate 90 per cent of girls aged 9–14 in Phase 1 regions by the end of 2025 and to sustain high coverage through routine immunisation in the coming years.
