Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday launched the Digital System for Licensing and Registration of Medical Devices, which will accelerate the registration process, state media Radio Pakistan reported.

The registration of life-saving medical devices and diagnostic products in Pakistan became a critical issue earlier this year.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) was under scrutiny over “sluggish” and “highly inefficient” operations for the approval and registration of medical devices. According to the chairman of Healthcare Devices Association of Pakistan, the situation was causing heavy financial losses to importers and disrupting patient care in hospitals.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, he said that the process will be completed in the shortest possible time, stating: “Now, decisions will be made swiftly and transparently.”

The premier hoped that the applications for registration of medical services and equipment would be decided within 20 days in a transparent and merit-based system, according to APP.

He criticised Drap for inordinate delays in the registration process of medical services, saying. “Drag, not Drap, as it was dragging the process not for months but for years. The reasons were known to all.”

While citing issues in the health sector, he recalled an incident during his tenure as the Punjab chief minister, when Drap failed to properly handle certain drugs — meant to treat malaria — to treat heart patients, causing several deaths in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.

He also discussed that the government allocated a huge budget for the provision of free of cost medicines at the government-run hospitals during 2014-15. He was quoted as saying, “The 60 per cent samples of those drugs proved below standards.”

He added that he ensured provision of quality medicines free of cost and set up laboratories across the province to facilitate the poor and deprived people.

The prime minister said that if they decided to bring about revolution in the health sector, it might be a difficult task, but not impossible.

“There may be mountain-like hurdles, but if we decide with determination to negotiate them and move ahead, then nothing can hamper the way towards progress and prosperity. The hard work does not go in vain,” he stated.

Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal also spoke during the ceremony. He said that they had squeezed the time through an online digitisation system spanning over 20 days, contrary to earlier long periods of registration process.

He was quoted as saying, “The system would be free from any human contact as the certificates would be available online without visiting Drap.”

Kamal said that the government was utilising available resources to overcome issues in the health sector, including population growth and waterborne diseases.

“We are further improving the healthcare system with public-private partnership,” he said, adding the primary healthcare system would be strengthened further to reduce the burden at the main healthcare centres.

“The registration and licensing of everything from wheelchairs to MRI machines would be done online. Citizens could submit online applications from home to obtain registration and licensing of medical devices.”