Latest news with #DRAP
Business Recorder
15 hours ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Safer, smarter healthcare services: Federal, Punjab Health ministries to launch joint initiatives
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Health Ministry and the Punjab Health department have decided to join hands for stronger, safer, and smarter healthcare services. The major development for national health collaboration came here on Thursday during a high-level meeting between Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal and Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir. The meeting focused on strengthening coordination between the federal and provincial governments to address critical healthcare challenges and launch joint initiatives across key health areas. The meeting decided taking joint action against counterfeit medicines, coordinated efforts on polio eradication and dengue prevention and advancement of digital health systems and regulatory reform. The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary Health Syed Waqarul Hassan, Additional Secretary Health, Chief Information Officer of DRAP, Director General Health, and the President of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC),Dr Rizwan Taj. Kamal reiterated the federal government's resolve to address healthcare issues with urgency. He stated that under the direction of the prime minister, particular focus is being placed on eliminating polio and ensuring timely implementation of health programmes. 'The fight against polio continues with full zeal, until the virus is eliminated, our children remain at risk,' he emphasised. He shared plans for a new national strategy for polio eradication and urged parents to disregard negative propaganda and ensure their children are vaccinated. 'In Palestine, even during war, mothers call for vaccinators with whistles. Pakistani mothers must also play their part in protecting their children,' he said. Kamal highlighted steps being taken by DRAP to combat counterfeit medicines, including the rollout of a modern barcode system. This will enable every medicine to carry a unique code that patients can scan to verify authenticity and price. Additionally, export certifications such as GMP, CoPP, and NOCs are now being processed online via the Pakistan Single Window, and all regulatory submissions are handled through the new 'e-App' online platform. Provincial Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir reaffirmed Punjab's full support for the federal government's health agenda. 'Punjab has greater capacity and resources, and we are ready to share these to benefit all provinces. The health of our people must come before all else,' he stated. He also praised DRAP's initiatives under the leadership of Minister Kamal, particularly, those targeting counterfeit pharmaceuticals. The two ministers agreed on the importance of coordinated measures to prevent dengue outbreaks in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and committed to united efforts in disease prevention, vaccination campaigns, and health system strengthening. They stressed that collaboration between federal and provincial levels is crucial to achieving meaningful progress in the health sector. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
30-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Spurious, sub-standard drugs: NA body grills DRAP
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC), Thursday, grilled the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP) for ineffective monitoring and failure to control the spread of spurious, unregistered and sub-standard drugs across the country. The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, MNA to discuss various pressing issues related to health, licensing of drugs, homeopathic and alternative drugs as well as three amendment bills. The committee disposed-off 'The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024', moved by Shaista Pervaiz, MNA. Whereas, the debate on 'The Islamabad Healthcare Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2024', moved by Shaista Pervaiz Malik and 'The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2024', moved by Abdul Qadir Patel, MNA were deferred due to absence of movers. Discussing the matters pertaining to the working and performance of the DRAP, the committee highlighted the acute shortage of resources, pending recruitments and the need for a robust regulatory framework to address pharmaceutical malpractice. It was recommended that rules for filling vacant positions in DRAP be expedited, alongside efforts to strengthen inspection mechanisms for pharmaceutical products and vaccines. Members also stressed the importance of harmonising drug licensing procedures to reduce delays and ensure the availability of quality-assured medicines. The committee urged DRAP to adopt a more proactive approach in monitoring drug efficacy, availability and pricing to safeguard public health interests. The committee members also recommended enhancing the existing penalties for non-compliance of standards. Additionally, the need to prioritize local manufacturing of essential vaccines was emphasised to minimise reliance on imports and ensure a steady supply. The committee commended DRAP for its efforts to digitize the drug licensing application process. It was noted that a standardised harmonised form has been developed to streamline licensing procedures. The committee emphasised the importance of establishing clear and stringent rules for drug licensing to enhance transparency and efficiency. Additionally, the committee directed DRAP to share the finalised licensing rules in the next meeting. Briefing the panel, Dr Obaidullah, chief executive officer (CEO) DRAP said that the organisation was facing serious shortage of staff not only at senior level but junior level, adding that monitoring and controlling of spurious, substandard and unregistered drugs was not only DRAP's responsibility but largely provincial governments' were responsible for it as health after 18th constitutional amendment was a devolved subject. He said that the DRAP was making all possible efforts to ensure effective regulation across the board and to deal with the staff shortage board has sent a summary to the federal government. The committee discussed several issues such as the regulation of food standards, healthcare governance and recruitment practices. The committee members expressed concerns over the Ministry of Science and Technology's delay in addressing unresolved matters related to food product standards, particularly the introduction of front-of-package warnings. Recognising the adverse health impacts of ultra-processed foods, the committee recommended imposing a levy on such products. The revenue generated would support health promotion initiatives aimed at combating non-communicable diseases. The issue of administrative inefficiencies and recruitment delays at institutions such as Polyclinic and the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) was also discussed in depth. Members urged immediate action to ensure transparency and fairness in hiring practices. The committee directed the ministry to submit detailed reports on recruitment processes and measures to enhance institutional accountability in the next meeting. The meeting was attended by MNAs, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Sabheen Ghoury, Farah Naz Akbar, Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Aliya Kamran, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Shahram Khan, Dr Amjad Ali Khan, Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Azimud Din Zahid Lakhwi in person, whereas, Nisar Ahmed, MNA attended virtually. The minister for NHSR&C, the secretary along with senior officers from the ministry and its attached departments attended the meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
09-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Ministry reviews preparedness to deal with any health emergencies
ISLAMABAD: In the wake of Pakistan-India military tensions, the Ministry of National Health Services and Coordination held an emergency meeting to comprehensively review preparedness and formulate strategies to deal with any potential health emergencies. The meeting was held here on Thursday at the National Institute of Health (NIH) under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal. During the meeting, Kamal urged the provincial governments to allocate additional hospital beds and ensure adequate stock of blood and essential medicines in anticipation of any crisis. The minister emphasised that federal hospitals must continue daily operations smoothly and remain fully functional in emergency situation without any disruption. Senior officials including the Director General Health, CEO DRAP, heads of federal hospitals, representatives of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority, Director General Health from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Director Health from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) participated in the meeting, along with other key stakeholders. Addressing the participants, Kamal stated, 'India is an unreliable adversary. We must remain fully prepared for all possible scenarios. The Ministry of Health and its subordinate institutions will stay on high alert.' The health minister directed the CEO of DRAP to ensure uninterrupted supply of vaccines and life-saving medicines. He also stressed to ensure alternatives arrangements for medicines currently imported from India. Furthermore, he instructed the NIH to immediately enhance its capacity for local vaccine production. Special instructions were issued to Polyclinic Hospital to make specific arrangements for the treatment of burn victims in case of emergency. The minister also directed that the medical needs of the armed forces be met on a priority basis. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Sector-wide reforms initiated
The Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR), in its first meeting at the Board of Investment, approved wide-ranging reforms across multiple sectors — including DRAP, NHA, PHA, FSC&RD. photo: file Listen to article The government is going to introduce a set of reforms in different sectors of the country to ensure ease of doing business. The Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR) in its recent meeting agreed to a set of reforms to be introduced in the coming days. The first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR) was held at the Board of Investment on May 6, 2025, in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's vision to streamline Pakistan's regulatory landscape and improve the ease of doing business. The reforms are going to be introduced in multiple sectors including the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), National Highway Authority (NHA), Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), and the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD). One key proposal calls for DRAP to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (Pak-IPO) to ensure real-time data sharing related to trademark registration. Currently, a lack of coordination between the two entities has resulted in overlapping brand name claims. The proposed alignment would be in line with international best practices. The committee has also agreed that DRAP should adopt the principle of "obtain once, use multiple times" to eliminate the duplication of documents in its licensing processes. Additionally, the committee has directed the authority to prescribe fixed timelines for the evaluation and issuance of licenses, certificates, and permits. The cabinet body has also directed Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to outsource licensing and registration inspections of healthcare facilities to accredited third-party inspectors (TPIs) in a bid to reduce procedural delays. Mandatory inspections, which are currently handled in-house, have been cited as time-consuming and inefficient. In another move, IHRA has been directed to digitise its complaint management system to include businesses alongside patients, ensuring a more comprehensive and tech-enabled grievance redressal mechanism. Under the reforms, the PHA has been directed to revise its certification fee structure, which currently imposes a 0.025% turnover fee on businesses. The fee has been labelled as an indirect tax that discourages growth and hurts export competitiveness. The committee has agreed to exempt exporters from this fee and to automate and integrate the entire Halal certification process with the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) for enhanced efficiency. The committee has agreed to several reforms in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) under the Labour Welfare Department (LWD) and the Registrar of Firms (ROF): Currently, there is no defined timeline for boiler inspections during manufacturing unit registration. The committee has agreed to set a clear timeline, similar to India's 30-day inspection requirement. The factory registration process remains fully manual, requiring physical visits, extensive paperwork, and repeated follow-ups. ICT has proposed streamlining and digitising the system. CCORR is expected to review implementation strategy and financial requirements. The partnership firm registration process currently demands in-person appearances from all partners and witnesses. Authorities now proposed moving to a fully digital registration process. CCORR may direct ICT to set a specific implementation timeline. A proposal has been made to extend the validity of trade licenses, which are currently valid for only one year. Currently, trade licenses require annual renewals and mandatory inspections. The proposal involves extending the validity to three years to reduce the compliance burden. CCORR may issue formal instructions to implement this change.
India.com
29-04-2025
- Business
- India.com
India crushes Pakistan without firing a shot; PM Modi uses smart diplomatic moves that will jeopardise..., deepen crisis that will...
New Delhi: Pakistan's already struggling economy has been further rattled by the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and shutting down of the Attari-Wagah border following the Pahalgam terror attack. Now, Pakistan is witnessing mounting pressure across critical sectors including agriculture, health, fertiliser supply, and access to vital water resources. Pakistan gets about 80% of the water of western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab through the now-suspended IWT that flow through India into Pakistan, whereas India's share from the eastern rivers, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej is 20%. Hence, the suspension of the IWT will hit Pakistan way more than India. Agricultural crisis Agriculture in Pakistan contributes around 20% to its GDP and employs over 38% of its labour force. More than 80% of Pakistan's agriculture and around a third of its hydropower generation depend on the waters of the Indus basin. Following the suspension of the IWT, India said that it might restrict or divert waters from Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej for exclusive Indian use. Even a marginal reduction in river flow could cripple irrigation cycles in key agricultural belts like Punjab and Sindh, which depend heavily on the Indus system for crops such as wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane. The Punjab province alone accounts for 77% of Pakistan's wheat production, Sindh contributes 15%, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for about 5%, and Balochistan 3.5%, according to US Department of Agriculture data (2015–2018 averages. Pakistan's wheat belt is crisscrossed by rivers like the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej, all of which originate in India. This means any reduction or disruption in water flow would severely impact over three-fourths of Pakistan's wheat output. Districts along the Indus and its tributaries, including areas around Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Multan, and Bahawalpur, report the highest wheat production levels (ranging between 450 to 1,200 thousand metric tons). Food prices in Pakistan are already soaring due to internal economic woes. Any shock to agriculture output, especially wheat, the staple food, will further fuel inflation, deepen poverty, and create rural unrest. It could also force Pakistan to import grains, straining its fragile foreign exchange reserves. Medicine shortages; health crisis Pakistani health authorities have initiated emergency measures to secure pharmaceutical supplies. Currently, Islamabad relies on India for 30-40 per cent of its pharmaceutical raw materials, including Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and advanced therapeutic products. Critical life-saving drugs for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and antibiotics were sourced from Indian manufacturers due to their affordability and quality. India's department of pharmaceuticals has requested the pharma exports body to prepare a list of medicines and pharmaceutical products exported to Pakistan. Reports suggest that Drug Regulator Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) is exploring alternative sources in China, Russia and several European countries. The country could witness shortage of vital medicines if immediate steps are not taken. The shortage of medicines will inevitably lead to a surge in prices, making essential healthcare unaffordable for a large segment of the Pakistani population. Fertiliser shortage India has historically been a major supplier of DAP (Di-ammonium phosphate) and urea, critical fertilisers for Pakistan's major crops. The trade suspension by Pakistan means it must now seek more expensive imports from Gulf countries, China, or Central Asia. This will further strain Pakistan's economy.
