KARACHI: Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) at a meeting discussed issue of shortage of essential medicine and increase of medicine price. Meeting presided over through video link by Dr Salma Aslam Kundi, Honourary President PMA Centre was attended by Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, Hon. Secretary General PMA Centre, Dr. Qazi Wasiq, Hon. Treasurer PMA Centre, Dr. Syed Tipu Sultan, Former President PMA Centre, Dr. Mirza Ali Azhar, ex-President PMA Sindh, Dr. Sonia Naqvi, President PMA Karachi, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, General Secretary PMA Karachi, Dr. Hamid Manzoor and other senior members of PMA.

 Meeting expressed its concern over acute shortage of medicine and increased prices of medicine in Pakistan. It was told in meeting that poor people in Pakistan are facing difficulty for getting their treatment because government hospitals are not free, even medicine is not available to patients in these hospitals. Meeting also demanded for provision of quality health services at public sector hospitals.

 Participants were concerned over news item published in section of press according to which growing tussle between Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and pharmaceutical manufacturers has led to shortage of 40 different essential medicines in market and this number is increasing with every passing day. This shortage is due local manufacturers who have stopped production of several drugs due to rising prices of raw material in international market, resulting in an elevated production cost.

 Meeting rejected any further price hike. They were of view that medicine prices in Pakistan are already very high due to which medicines are out of reach of poor people even middle class of our society. Government is increasing medicine prices. Painful aspect of this development is that prices of essential medicine and life-saving drugs will get increased further. People are already spending 50 to 60 percent of their income on medicine and treatment. PMA suggested government should ponder some other ways to minimise effect of increasing cost of medicine because of devaluation of Pakistani currency. Fake, counterfeit drugs and medicine smuggling should be eliminated on priority basis. PMA believed that government, pharma manufacturers and all stakeholders should sit together and resolve all issues so poor people could be avoided to suffer.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 13 2022

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