Islamabad:
Federal Minister of Health Mustafa Kamal has admitted that after deregulation, some pharmaceutical companies have colluded to increase medication prices.
Kamal spoke Thursday at a meeting of the Senate Permanent Committee on National Health Services and Regulations. According to the Federal Minister, the medications were deregulated to create an atmosphere of competition.
However, the president of the committee, Senator Sajad Hussain Turi, commented that after deregulation, pharmaceutical companies have become posters.
The minister acknowledged that deregulation was not a final step and could be reviewed. He admitted to having received reports that pharmaceutical companies had colluded to increase prices.
In addition, he admitted that the price of a medicine that previously cost RS7 has now increased to RS70, and that the purpose of deregulation had not been achieved. “Medicine prices have not come down; in fact, all prices have risen,” Kamal added.
DRAP executive director, Dr. Obaidullah, also informed the members. He said that a survey on medicine price increases is being carried out, and a report on price increases from 190 types of medicines will be available in September.
According to reports published on August 11, the Government decided to establish a new regulatory body responsible for establishing the prices of essential medicines, a task previously administered by DRAP.
This movement is part of broader reforms in the health sector aimed at rationalizing the Federal Ministry of Health, according to officials of the Ministry of National Health Services.
The decision to relieve the cutting of its price fixing tariffs follows the previous deregulation of the government caregiver of non -essential medicine prices.
The new agency will assume the responsibility of regulating the prices of approximately 500 essential medications.
