ISLAMABAD: During the last four decades, highly qualified and well-known personalities were appointed to head the Drug Registration Board (DRB).

However, the previous government ignored this practice. As a result, junior officers have been working as chairman and secretary DRB.

It may be noted that DRB was established in 1976 to ensure availability of quality drugs across the country. The board appoints a panel of experts who inspect medicines time to time. It also deals with the applications for registration of new drugs and ensures that there is no shortage of medicines in the market.

An officer of the Ministry of National Health Services on the condition of anonymity said the chairman DRB, Ghulam Rasool Dotani, was nominated in the ephedrine case but he later became an approver.Moreover, he is a BPS-19 officer and has been holding the charge of chairman DRB, which is a BPS 21 post. As far as his qualification is concerned, Mr Dotani is just a graduate,” he said.

Secretary DRB Obaidullah is a BPS 18 officer but holding the BPS 20 post.

“In the past, Maj-Gen M. I. Burney, Prof Dr Naik Mohammad Sheikh, Prof Dr Ali Ahmed Ansari, Dr Zaheer Jan (PhD), Dr Faazli (PhD), Dr Ikramul Haq (PhD) and Dr Farnaz Malik (PhD) worked as the chairperson and secretary DRB,” he said.

“Whenever appointments are made in violation of rules or against merit, blunders are made. In 2012, fake medicines were distributed by Punjab Institute of Cardiology due to which over 150 patients died,” he said.

A doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said officers occupying important positions in DRB registered and approved life-saving drugs.

When contacted, Ghulam Rasool Dotani acknowledged that he was in BPS 19 and the secretary DRB in BPS 18. But so far rules for DRB have not been finalised, he added.

“As long as rules are not finalised by the government, it cannot be said that the chairman and secretary are working in violation of the rules. The director registration can become the head of DRB, so I became the chairperson by design.”

He said a highly qualified person was not required for the post of chairperson because there were a number of professional pharmacists, biologists and other people working with DRB. “Moreover, the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Association has also representation in DRB,” he said.

Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said the issues in DRB were in her knowledge.

“I have been focusing on different departments to resolve their issues. Unfortunately, I am alone and there are lots of issues. I can assure you that positive changes will be seen in DRB soon,” she said.