Former secretary general of Pakistan Medical Association Dr Qaisar Sajjad urged DRAP to regulate drug prices in consultation with the pharmaceutical industry, pointing out that prices of essential drugs increase every 15 to 20 days. Photo: archive
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services has urged the government to balance investor confidence and business margins with the public interest in keeping essential medicines affordable.
The panel, chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, met in Parliament to discuss a number of key issues relating to the health sector.
He recommended that while maintaining investor confidence and allowing reasonable profit margins, the interests of the common man should be safeguarded to keep essential medicines at affordable prices.
Matters including Pakistan Drug Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill 2025, status of polio eradication efforts and performance of National Council of Homeopathy were briefly discussed during the meeting.
The committee also reviewed the compliance report submitted by the Ministry of National Health Services on drug prices, difficult cases and new drug registrations.
He stressed that wage increases and production costs must be reasonably justified and urged the ministry to review SCR activities and ongoing research and development initiatives to ensure transparency and efficiency in the pricing process.
While discussing the Drap (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur praised the committee’s continued efforts and expressed support for its recommendations.
The Health Minister warned that sudden changes to the regulatory framework could disrupt the national pharmaceutical sector, emphasizing the need for stability, while the committee chair called for a balanced and well-structured approach to the proposed amendments.
The minister assured the committee that the ministry would present a comprehensive action plan and ensure that all stakeholders, including the incoming administration, are consulted in the reform process.
The committee was also briefed on the progress of polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, where Senator Masroor Ahsan expressed concern about the persistence of the virus despite multiple vaccination campaigns.
The minister told the committee that poor sanitation, unhygienic conditions and contaminated sewage remain key factors behind the persistence of the virus, particularly in Karachi, Lahore and southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
He added that vaccination efforts alone cannot be successful without addressing these environmental causes.
Senator Chishti highlighted that eliminating polio requires collective responsibility at the grassroots level, along with accountability from elected representatives and local government bodies.
