KARACHI: People associated with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) lack capacity to work in accordance with international regulatory standards, Minister of State for National Health Service, Regulations, and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said on Tuesday.

Addressing the Second Pakistan Pharma Summit organised by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), she said that though there were some very good people associated with DRAP, the authority could not be improved until it changed mechanism of working and technology being used by it was changed.

According to a PPMA’s press release, the minister said a Rs145 million project had been approved for upgrading the Central Drugs Laboratory of DRAP for accreditation with the World Health Organisation to help local pharma industry’s exports.

She conceded that national health sector indicators were a cause of collective shame for the country.

The government alone cannot be held responsible for such a shameful situation as there should be a sense of collective responsibility shown by all the quarters concerned in society, Ms Tarar said.

She said the basic challenge her ministry faced regarding DRAP was transparency.

She hoped induction of new blood coming into DRAP would definitely bring some change in functioning of the pharma industry regulator. She said her ministry, after due authorisation of the government, would recruit some 2,000 employees and 60 interns to help facilitate working of the regulator.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2016