ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Friday took serious notice of drugs price hike up to fifteen percent and asked the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to present a detailed report in the next meeting on pricing mechanism.
Secretary Health Capt (R). Zahid Saeed informed senate body that manufacturers file an application in DRAP to review the existing price of the drugs after an increase in production cost of medicines.
Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination met with Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh in the chair here at Parliament House.
The secretary said, “DRAP Hardship Committee hears the grievances of the manufacturer and gives a decision in favor or against the application”.
He briefed that 890 such applications were pending due to system delays. “These manufacturers filed a petition in the supreme court on which court granted time of ten weeks to settle the pending log”, he added.
He said prices of 463 drugs were increased while on other hand prices of 395 drugs were reduced.
The cabinet is the authority to review the overall drug prices while hardship committee hears individuals, he added.
The committee while discussing ordinance of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) expressed its reservations saying that ordinance was valid for 120 days and decisions taken during interim law would be permanent.
The committee noted that ordinance was under consideration in senate whereas appointments and decisions during this period would not be revisable.
Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq raised issued of appointing head of National Institute of Health on ad-hoc basis and suggested that seniors were supposed to head the department, while secretary responded that Human Resource capacity was not available with the organization for the said post.
Submission of recommendations on Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) were deferred due to absence of the relevant minister.
The Minister Aamer Mehmood Kiani, on his arrival briefed the chairman about his official engagements and assured that matter of price hike was in his notice and he was committed to provide the relief.
