PAKISTAN: Health Ministry To Check Sale of Spurious Drugs

ISLAMABAD (Pak Tribune), April 18, 2006: Syed Anwar Mehmood, Federal Health Secretary, announced Monday a special plan of action to check sale of spurious medicines, spiraling prices and declining quality of medicines. He said this was in view of directives of the Supreme Court. The number of Drug Courts in the country will be doubled from 10 at present to 20. The plan caters to issues of subsidies given to doctors by pharmaceutical companies, control of quality and prices of drugs and ways of curtailing increasing number of cases being brought to drug courts. The high-level meeting was attended by Secretary Health of all the four provinces and of Azad Kashmir, DG Health, provincial Drug Inspectors and representatives of pharmaceutical companies. Syed Anwar said pharmaceutical companies need to be obliged not to give subsidy to doctors on projects other than that of research and training. The Supreme Court taking suo motto notice of the situation has directed the Ministry of Health to double the number of drug courts in the country from existing 10 to 20. It has been decided to ensure supply of life-saving drugs and to ban airing of advertisements of drugs on media, as it is illegal. Doctors must be obliged to prescribe medicines keeping in view the financial standing of the patients. The Central BOard of Revenue would be urged to extend special cooperation in controlling drug smuggling. Post registration monitoring level of medicines would also be improved. Presently there are 12 drug inspectors working under federal government to monitor 400 pharmaceutical units operating nation-wide leading to poor inspection, he maintained. PakTribune © Copyright