Export of pharmaceutical and health-related equipment from Pakistan to more than 60 countries has touched $ 37 million mark, whereas national as well as foreign investment in the pharmaceutical sector has surpassed Rs 8 billion mark.
Quoting the latest industry figures in the recently concluded two-day inter-provincial ministerial conference, Pakistan's Federal Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan stated that over 60 national pharmaceutical manufacturing units have been certified by ISO for producing standard products, while cases of many more were being processed.
However in the domestic trade front, the country too face severe problem of spurious and substandard drugs. Pakistan Federal Health Ministry in consultation with the provincial health departments has now planned to launch a massive drive to clear stocks of expired/spurious medicines from medical stores in a month. In the crackdown, which is started from September 1, the licenses of the chemists who possess spurious/expired medicines would be cancelled.
Nasir Khan said that the Health Ministry has prepared a draft for approval of the Federal Cabinet banning sale of substandard drugs and production of fake pharmaceutical products in the country. He adds "A concerted efforts were needed by the Federal and Provincial governments for eliminating quacks and corrupt elements ."
As part of this, a country wide coordinated campaign will be launched against the manufacturing and sale of sub-standard and spurious drugs as the practice is playing havoc with the lives of patients.
The Prime Minister Jamali had also directed the Ministry to take stern action against those who are involved in this practice. In Pakistan it is the responsibility of Federal government to control licensing of medicine after checking their quality while the marketing is checked by the provincial governments.
There is also move to act against the corrupt drug inspectors planned as they should be removed and the efficiency of others to be improved to ensure effective monitoring. The Federal Ministry has also directed the government of Balochistan and Punjab to take measures against the factories, which are producing fake drugs.
In the meanwhile, the Federal government is also considering to bring a" Homeopathy Medicine Act" to regulate the production and sale of homeopathic and herbal medicines in the country. The draft has been sent to the Health Minister two weeks earlier and the NIH has built the capacity to evaluate the samples and determine the quality of such medicines before registration. The government opines that this will ensure the quality of the product and boost the export of these medicines to other countries.
According to government sources the Pakistani herbs are better than India's but the latter is earning more money from the export of these medicines. India is earning US $ 1.3 billion from export of homeopathic and herbal medicines at present.
However, the government now feel that a prompt legislation was required before the implementation of WTO regime because India may get patent of these medicines after that.
The Health Ministry recently has also proposed a National Health Round Table Task Force to address the issue of health administration. The Task Force will be chaired by Minister for Health Nasir Khan while all four Provincial Ministers will be its member.
The Task Force which has one point agenda "The Health Administrative Structure of Pakistan" will present its report within three months. It will determine the powers of provincial Minister and other institution. All the major stakeholders will be consulted before preparing the report.
According to Nasir Khan, the high priority to blood safety measures and implemen-tation of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Project, will ensure public safety against global epidemics. He said the government has also established a task force against Hepatitis Biotech in National Institute of Health (NIH).
In this regard, blood safety will be given priority and the vaccination of high-risk health workers will be considered through public sector funds. He further said that NIH had been directed to chalk out strategy to deal with the emergency health threats like SARS and Congo Virus.
The Punjab Health Minister Tahir Ali on the occasion that there were around seven million patients of Hepatitis B in the province and the government was alive to the issue.
"We are arranging series of awareness activities for the general public," he said. In his speech, the WHO Representative to Pakistan Dr. Khalif Bile appreciated the Health Minister's initiative to arrange such a wide scale consultation.
The Federal government has also constituted a high-powered task force in the National Institute of Health (NIH) to control spread of Hepatitis B/C and ensure blood safety measures at the federal and provincial levels. According to Punjab health secretary, as Hepatitis was correlated with contamination of water, which should be given high priority at district and union council levels.
NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah says that the NWFP government had already formed a task force on Hepatitis. In addition, Federal Health Secretary Ejaz Rahim said the ministry has prepared a comprehensive plan to streamline the affairs of drug inspectors at the federal and provincial levels to eliminate corruption and provide qualitative medicines to the general public. He said that the ministry was all set to present a summery in the Federal Cabinet for the approval of the prime minister to enact law, allowing use of homeopathic and herbal medicines in the state-run hospitals.
This act would not only help in bringing the homeopathic drugs at par with the allopathic products, which were most common in the society, but also help in meeting WTO challenges, he said.
- (The Nation & Business Recorder)
- All amounts mentioned in Rs in this Special Feature (unless referred otherwise) refer to the Pakistani currency. Conversion: US$1 = Pak. Rs 60.13(approx.)