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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
Express Tribune
29-01-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
NA panel sceptical about $60b exports
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce on Wednesday raised the question whether the government's plan to increase exports to $60 billion by 2029 in current economic and industrial landscape was feasible. "We believe your targets are not realistic," the committee chairman remarked as officials briefed the panel on the country's export strategy. Speaking on the occasion, committee member Shaista Pervaiz pointed out the stark decline in cotton production, which once stood at 14 million bales but has now dropped to 5.5 million bales. "Look at the current state of cotton production," she lamented. The officials defended their projections, citing factors like Reko Diq's potential, Chinese investments, and global trade trends. They noted that several countries with zero cotton production still managed to export 40 billion worth of textiles annually. "That's exactly what we're saying. Show us some exceptional performance," the committee chairman said. Expressing concerns over the internet issues, the committee chairman asked how the exports could grow when digital connectivity remained unstable in the services sector. The officials from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) assured the committee that tax and power tariff issues for the textile sector would be addressed. However, they admitted that Pakistan never witnessed a 60% increase in agro-based exports in any given year. The TDAP officials reported that last year agricultural exports reached $1 billion and that flagship trade events contributed to export growth in multiple sectors. They highlighted that in the current fiscal year 124 international exhibitions showcased Pakistani products, 11 trade delegations visited Pakistan and 10 Pakistani trade delegations participated in international trade events. Dismissing the significance of trade fairs, committee member Gul Asghar Khan argued that "no matter how many exhibitions we hold, unless we resolve traders' issues, nothing will change". Khan expressed frustration over the disconnect between official briefings and ground realities, saying "in meetings it felt as if there were no country like Pakistan" but regretted that no tangible results were being achieved to increase exports. Committee member Rana Atif pointed out that in 2022 total exports were $32 billion but instead of increasing they dropped to $28 billion in 2023.
