Health workers administering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin district are gripped by fear after a second attack in three days targeted a female vaccination team on Saturday. The repeated incidents highlight significant challenges to public health campaigns in Pakistan, where vaccine hesitancy, fueled by misinformation and mistrust, remains a major hurdle.
The latest assault occurred yesterday in Ratuwal village, within the jurisdiction of Kathian Sheikhan police station. A female HPV vaccination team was working in a non-formal education school when a 55-year-old local resident reportedly entered the premises and attempted to attack a health supervisor.
According to Sabir Iqbal Sindhu, the Station House Officer of Kathian Sheikhan, the suspect “tried to attack the supervisor with a stick and by lifting a chair, threatened serious consequences and used foul language.” The sudden aggression caused a stampede among those present, forcing the immediate suspension of the vaccination process as the team scrambled for safety.
Health Supervisor Shamim Anjum recounted to local media that she and her team were compelled to flee the school to ensure their personal safety. Following the incident, Anjum filed a formal complaint with the Kathian Sheikhan police, leading to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR). The FIR, reviewed by Dawn, includes charges under sections 186 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Police have initiated action and stated that the suspect will be apprehended soon.
However, Anjum expressed deep concern over the lack of practical security measures. “The assurance of security given by the provincial health minister on the first incident of September 25 has not been fulfilled yet, and no practical action has been taken by the police,” she stated.
The first attack took place just two days prior, on Thursday, in Mandi Bahauddin’s Chak No. 38, where a female member of an HPV vaccination team was reportedly assaulted by local residents. Punjab’s Provincial Health Minister, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, had acknowledged the initial incident and issued directives for enhanced security for health workers. Yet, subsequent events suggest these instructions have not been adequately implemented. Efforts to reach Mandi Bahauddin’s Chief Executive Officer of Health for comment were unsuccessful, as the official reportedly ended the call.
These incidents are severely impacting the ongoing HPV vaccination campaign, as health workers assert that without adequate police protection, performing their duties safely will be impossible. The HPV vaccine, introduced in Pakistan in 2022 and now a nationwide routine immunisation programme, aims to protect adolescent girls aged 9-14 against cervical cancer.
The vaccination campaign is being rolled out in three phases across the country. Phase 1, which ran from September 15 to 27, covered Punjab, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Subsequent phases will expand to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026 and Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027. The ambitious goal for Phase 1 regions is to vaccinate 90 percent of eligible girls by the end of 2025, with a commitment to sustain high coverage in the coming years.
