IT would appear that the urgency to probe the sale and manufacture of drugs and medical devices has reached an altogether new level. A forum has asked the National Accountability Bureau to investigate the workings of the fancied and once very promising Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan. The complaint raises familiar issues about regulating medicines and medical devices such as cardiac stents. Although Drap may already be working to address the problems, an organisation with a mandate like NAB to ensure transparency and corruption-free proceedings obviously could not afford to ignore the frequent concerns voiced about the country’s drug sector. There have been just too many scandals in the area of health in Pakistan — if anything their frequency has increased with time — calling for close scrutiny at various levels. The latest complaint refers to alleged irregularities in maintaining records of medicines, increase in drug prices and that most infamous case where a large number of coronary patients were said to have been provided low-quality stents. This could well be the tip of the iceberg. An inquiry aimed at setting reforms in motion could ‘reveal’ a lot more.

At the same time, the call for a NAB investigation is yet another reminder about the state of affairs we all are very aware of. The recent scandals only add to the feeling of helplessness the people of this country have been long living with. The bureau may help to assign blame for these irregularities. Some of those responsible may even be asked to pay for their misadventures that have caused such grievous hurt to people. In the long run, however, what could truly benefit everyone here would be a sustained campaign led by the most knowledgeable in the field, including doctors, other public health experts and planners with technical capability. The health authorities have tried to explain how they are trying to address various issues and they may have their reasons for expecting public applause for whatever they are doing to clear the pile gathered over decades. But they cannot effectively deal with all that needs their intervention without launching some kind of emergency — declared or otherwise. More than these fleeting shows of empathy for people and their well-being, these probes upon probes, what is needed most urgently are expert endeavours aimed at rooting out a style of governance that has left such an indelible mark on the lives of Pakistanis.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017