SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to the prime minister on health affairs, has said there is no need for a formal investigation into the ongoing measles vaccine shortage, arguing that the cause is already clear.

The shortage stemmed from "negligence by the interim government", he told media at his secretariat office.

Ziauddin made the remarks in response to questions on whether the government would investigate the vaccine shortage, which has been widely linked to a measles outbreak that has so far caused 680 confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths combined.

On accountability for the shortage, Ziauddin said, “What is there to investigate?” He argued that the underlying problem was already known, pointing to the discontinuation of the operational plan and its replacement with Development Project Proposals (DPPs).

Since 1998, successive governments have implemented four Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Programmes (HPNSPs), also known as operational plans, to manage infrastructure development and the procurement of medicines, vaccines, and essential health services.

The latest HPNSP ended in June 2024, and the interim government scrapped the proposed fifth programme in March 2025. Instead, several projects were introduced to complete unfinished work under the fourth HPNSP and maintain essential supplies.

According to Ziauddin, it had been expected that the new projects would be approved within a short time and funding made available. However, even after a year, many Development Project Proposals remain unprepared and have not received Ecnec approval, disrupting the regular flow of funds that previously operated under the programme.

“As a result, the burden of this shortage is something we, as a nation, are still carrying,” he said.

He added that shortages of various family planning products have also been reported in different parts of the country, though efforts are underway to address the gaps.

When asked again about an official investigation and whether he considered the situation to be negligence on the part of the interim government, he said there was “definitely negligence.”

He added that, in his view, the 2024 vaccination campaign was missed due to that negligence, with no vaccine procurement carried out, and similar lapses affecting family planning supplies.

“There was clear negligence, and we have no doubt about that. That is why there is no need for any investigation,” he said.

Speaking at his secretariat office after returning from Lisbon, where he attended the International Congress of Midwives, he also said the government plans to recruit around 25,000 midwives over the next three to four years to improve maternal healthcare and ensure safer childbirth.