ISLAMABAD, July 4: In a clear violation of 18th Amendment, the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry is still running the Expanded Programme on Immunistaion (EPI) and purchasing millions of dollars vaccines in this regard, Dawn has learnt.

The federal EPI cell, according to a senior planning wing official, was to be devolved on June 30 as per the constitutional amendment, but now the government seems to be having second thoughts about retaining it for another year.

An official of the ministry on condition of anonymity said every year federal government purchased vaccine worth Rs1.5 billion for all the immunisation programmes including hepatitis, measles, polio, bacteria producing tetanus, childhood tuberculosis, haemophilus influenza. Type-b (Hib).

The federal EPI programme had been managed by the federal government since 1978.

Political leaders of the PPP specifically federal minister for the Inter Provincial Coordination Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani met the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf with a summary to convince him to retain the EPI for another year, added the official.

Documents made available to Dawn revealed that Planning and Development Commission has also put a number of health projects at the disposal of the Islamabad Capital Territory administration as per the 18th Amendment.

The documents said: “For the sake of clarity, ICT components of various vertical projects in health sector sponsored under Planning and Development Division are assigned to Islamabad Capital Territory administration and Capital Administration and Development Division.”

The vertical health programmes are independent entities funded either by provincial or federal governments, whereas in some cases these programmes are also funded by international donors.

Another official who is part of key decision making at the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry added that as per the devolution programme the ICT administration and Capital Administration and Development Division had to play a major role in the implementation of these projects and not the inter-provincial coordination ministry.

The official said: “The ICT administration has not been given any major responsibility for the capital city.”

However, despite multiple attempts the minister for the inter-provincial coordination Mir Hazar Khan Bajaraini could not be contacted. A message was also left with his staff to get his comments on the current development but till filing of this story there was no response from the minister.