The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Sindh have inaugurated a model vaccination centre at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi. The facility is expected to serve approximately 2.5 million people living in District South and provide free routine immunization services for children and pregnant women. The initiative has been supported by WHO with financial assistance from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The new Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) centre will offer protection against 13 vaccine-preventable diseases for children and provide tetanus-diphtheria vaccination for pregnant women. The facility has been designed to improve the vaccination experience for families through dedicated child vaccination areas, waiting spaces for caregivers, water and sanitation facilities, modern furniture, vaccine storage equipment, and educational materials on immunization schedules.
As Karachi’s largest public-sector children’s hospital, NICH is expected to vaccinate hundreds of children every day. The centre strengthens Sindh’s ongoing efforts to improve routine immunization services and increase access to life-saving vaccines. The facility will also help reduce the number of children who miss routine vaccinations, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
Sindh has made notable progress in immunization coverage, reaching 80 percent routine vaccination coverage by 2025. Coverage for key childhood vaccines, including the first dose of the pentavalent vaccine and the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis prevention, has exceeded 90 percent in many areas. WHO continues to support vaccination efforts across Sindh, helping immunize approximately 1.5 million children annually, including around 700,000 in Karachi.
The new centre forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen immunization infrastructure across Pakistan. Following the opening of a similar WHO-supported facility in Lahore, another model vaccination centre is expected to open soon in Quetta. These facilities aim to improve access to vaccines, strengthen routine immunization systems, and support disease prevention efforts nationwide.
Health officials emphasized that vaccination remains one of the most effective public health interventions, protecting children and mothers from life-threatening diseases. The Karachi centre will also contribute to Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts by offering routine immunization alongside supplementary polio vaccination campaigns and supporting the country’s broader goal of ensuring equitable healthcare access for all families.
