Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blocked a new plan that sought to raise the costs of 10 medications by up to 25% and stated that he could not accept such a move.
The majority of the drugs whose costs were requested to be raised, according to a senior official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), who asked to remain unnamed, were intended for uncommon disorders, while one was added per the orders of the Sindh High Court.
The federal cabinet had earlier on August 16 also rejected a report from the NHS Ministry suggesting an increase in the pricing of 35 medications, and had declared that no medication’s price would be increased in the future without the cabinet’s permission.
The ministry suggested raising the pricing of 10 medications in hardship instances, according to the schedule for the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
It is important to note that the ministry may move cases under the hardship category if the manufacturing of medicine becomes economically unviable due to an increase in the cost of raw materials. This would enable the manufacturing companies to raise the maximum retail price and ensure that the medications are available on the market.
The prime minister, however, immediately said that he could not support any initiative to raise the cost of medications. The cabinet as a whole voted to reject the idea in accordance with the prime minister’s attitude. Even the health minister, Abdul Qadir Patel, made a statement stating that he disagreed with the proposal.
The majority of the medications on the agenda, according to a ministry official, were intended for uncommon conditions including women’s fertility, anti-malaria, anesthesia, etc.
A nationwide crackdown on fake and unlicensed medications has been initiated, according to ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah, on the orders of Health Minister Patel.
He said that 25 outlets were sealed and unregistered medications worth Rs35 million were found during an operation in Peshawar.
Mr. Shah continued, “Teams from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan have also been conducting raids on medical supply outlets in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and other towns.
