ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has been paying Rs5 million a month to rent a building in G-9, four years after the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) announced that an office would be built for the organisation.

According to NHS spokesperson Sajid Shah, the project was delayed because land could not be allocated for the building at the National Institute of Health (NIH). However, Mr Shah claimed that land would be allocated at the NIH’s next board meeting.

After Drap was formed in 2012 the organisation began working in various offices, including some in the Pak Secretariat where only ministries are permitted to have their offices. Under pressure to vacate the premises, some Drap offices were moved to a rented building in Blue Area.

A Drap official who asked not to be named said that in early 2013, it was decided that all the offices should be moved into one building. A 30,000sq ft building was rented for Rs4.6m a month in G-6, but the move was criticised for being too expensive.

NHS minister had announced in 2014 that a building would be constructed for Drap within two years

To bring an end to the criticism, NHS Minister Saira Afzal Tarar announced in July 2014 that the process to acquire 20 kanals for a Drap building had started, and the authority would move into its own building within two years.

Until then, she said, Drap will be allowed to operate in a rented building in order to bring to an end controversies regarding the registration of medicines that stemmed from the interaction of visitors and Drap officials in separate buildings.

Unfortunately, land has not been acquired nearly four years later, the Drap official said.

“We have been paying high rent, but the ministry has not taken any serious steps to construct a building for Drap. There is no problem regarding the availability of funds, as Drap generates sufficient funds and can allocate funds for the construction of a building,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that government do not make timely decisions, due to which not only are projects delayed but the cost of construction and material also increases. The ministry should take steps to get possession of the land and start construction within the shortest possible time,” he added.

A ministry official who requested anonymity said the ministry wanted to construct the Drap building at the NIH so that all the health departments could be in one place.

“If the Drap building is constructed at NIH, there will be fewer chances of interaction between representatives of pharmaceutical companies and Drap officials. Even in G-9, we have installed a number of CCTV cameras due to which interaction between Drap officials and pharmaceutical companies’ representatives have reduced,” he said.

The spokesperson, Mr Shah, said unfortunately government procedures took a lot of time but it has been decided in principle that the Drap building will be constructed at the NIH.

“During the next meeting of the board of governments, a plot will be allotted for a building at NIH. We have funding and all the arrangements for the building. Once the plot is finalised, construction will be started without any delay,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018