LAHORE: Two caretaker provincial health ministers discussed on Wednesday the complaints regarding supply of medicines in government hospitals of Punjab and the challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies due to the prevailing financial constraints in the country.
The meeting was attended by representatives from various pharmaceutical companies and senior officers from the health department.
Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Care Dr Jamal Nasir said the pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in the country’s economy and the provincial government is committed to addressing its genuine concerns.
He emphasised that no pharmaceutical company will be blacklisted in Punjab. Dr Nasir explained that the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar has raised the cost of importing raw materials used in medicine manufacturing.
Considering the difficulties faced by the pharmaceutical industry, the problems will be presented to the cabinet committee for decision-making. To address these issues, a committee has been formed to draft recommendations which will be presented to the committee. The committee will be chaired by Dr Ilyas Gondal, director general of Health Services, as announced by the health minister. The committee will also include representatives from pharmaceutical companies.
Provincial Minister for Specialized Health Care and Medical Education Dr Javed Akram assured that the supply of medicines to government hospitals in Punjab will not be interrupted. He stated that the meeting was convened to find a solution to the problem caused by the increase in prices.
Punjab Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan informed the attendees that the performance of drug inspectors, responsible for inspecting pharmaceutical companies, is being monitored. He added that a policy will be formulated to conduct inspections of pharmaceutical companies by qualified professionals rather than drug inspectors.
ADDITIONAL CHARGE: The Punjab government has given additional charge of the executive director of the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS) to Prof Dr Jodat Saleem.
Professor of anaesthesia at the Lahore General Hospital, Dr Jodat will continue to hold additional charge of the PINS till the appointment of the new executive director.
The post had fallen vacant on the retirement of Prof Khalid Mahmood a couple of weeks back and the health department has initiated the process of appointment of regular ED of the PINS.
Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2023
