Islamabad: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has decided to arrest PML-N MNA Ramesha Kumar and Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Deputy Programme Manager, the former’s wife, Dr Saveeta Vankwani in the vaccine scandal case, media reports said.
Dr Saveeta, who is the Deputy Programme Manager of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) remained continuously absent during the inquiry.
According to sources, FIA has collected the record of vaccines wasted during one year. Vaccines worth Rs640 million were wasted due to negligence of top officials.
The move came as an inquiry was launched in to the loss of pentavalent vaccines worth $3.9 million. The medication had been donated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) eight months ago.
However, in April the inquiry committee recommended that one senior and two junior staffers of the EPI be removed from their position for negligence.
It found EPI Operations Deputy Director Dr Najamullah Baig, storekeeper Rizwan Bashir and store engineer Altaf Hussain guilty and recommended that they be removed from their posts.
Bashir and Hussain were suspended immediately after the incident was reported.
The pentavalent vaccine protects children against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia.
