December 20, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 15, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Thursday said his ministry intended to hire the services of a consultant to maintain a constant vigil on the prices and quality of the commonly-used medicines.

Talking to reporters at a local hotel on Thursday, he said: “We need to have a result-oriented approach to benefit the people”. The government intends to provide official health cover to the people. A proper infrastructure in this regard is already in place at every provincial and district level, but it is under-utilized.

The minister said the prices of 20 drugs had been reduced on voluntarily basis to benefit the common man. He said he had asked different multinational and local pharmaceutical manufacturers to reduce the prices of medicines. He said, during his meeting with the drug manufacturers, he assured them of the government support, but stressed that there should be no compromise on the quality of drugs.

He said the Japan International Cooperation Agency had promised to provide a $9.6 million grant for the eradication of polio in the country. He expressed his confidence that the disease would be eradicated within six months, saying only 84 cases had been detected this year. Besides, a new programme will also be launched for Hepatitis-B vaccination.

Answering a question, Mr Khan said 65 per cent of the medicines in Pakistan were cheaper than those in India, and their quality was far better than that in many countries.

He maintained that there was no need for of a new health policy, but the need was to implement it in letter and spirit.

He said the provincial government would also be taken into confidence on all matters, adding that the efficiency of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) would be improved within six months. The stipend of trainee residential doctors of different hospitals will also be improved, he said.

Earlier, in his meeting with British high commissioner Hilary Synott, the minister said a conducive environment for investment would be provided to United Kingdom businessmen, particularly in the health sector.

He appreciated the British government’s contribution towards the betterment of health sector, particularly lady health worker programme, tuberculosis DOTs programme (directly observed treatment system), HIV/AIDS control programme and Oxford third policy evaluation.

The high commissioner congratulated the minister on his new assignment and hoped for continued bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

He informed the minister that in the next financial year, his government planned to work directly with two provinces, the NWFP and the Punjab, in education and health sectors.

Meanwhile, the medicines, the prices of which have been reduced, include Oflaxacin 200 mg/tab, Azithromycin 250 mg/tab, Ciprofloxacin 250 and 500 mg/tab, Levoflaxacin 250 and 500 mg/tab, Petoperazol 40 mg/tab (anti-ulcer), Omeprazol 20 mg/tab (anti-ulcer), Paclitaxel 30 mg/inj (anti-cancer), Montekast 10 mg/tab (anti-asthma), Cefuriozone 1 gm/inj (antibiotic), Simvastatin 20 mg/tab (anti-cholesterole), Atrovastatin 20 mg/tab (anti-cholesterole), Rofecoxib 12.5 and 25 mg/tab (anti-rheumatic), Ceftazidime 250 mg/inj (antibiotic), Olanzapine 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/tab (anti-psychotic) and Ribavirin 600 mg/tab (anti-viral).

Essential drugs: The representative of an NGO has asked the health ministry to revise the prices of leader brands of all the essential drugs instead of some so-called life-saving drugs.

“If the purpose really is to relieve the poor consumer, the government should take a rational approach,” said Dr Zafar Mirza, the executive coordinator of The Network here on Thursday.

Citing newspaper reports, he said the health ministry was engaged in convincing the representatives of pharmaceutical companies to decrease the prices of 20 leader brands of medicines considered as ‘life-saving drugs’.