THE alarm raised by the Pakistan Medical Association over the ongoing ‘unprecedented’ nationwide shortage of life-saving medicines should be seen as the making of a grave public health emergency — especially at a time when many parts of the country are in the midst of a natural calamity. The body, representing doctors, says that at least 80 drugs, including life-saving treatments for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and psychiatric disorders, are not available in the market. No substitutes exist for 25 of the drugs. It is a manmade crisis compounded by nature’s wrath. There can be no doubt that waterborne diseases are set to rise; the scarcity of essential drugs threatens to turn an already desperate humanitarian situation into a major public health disaster. The association blames the emergence of a black market in medicines as the main factor behind this state of affairs. With unscrupulous elements exploiting the drug shortages to make a quick buck, most life-saving drugs, such as injectable insulin, have already been pushed beyond the reach of ordinary households. That no action has been taken so far against the black marketeers is a damning indictment of the regulatory authorities.

This is not the first time that the supply of essential drugs has been disrupted, leading to a shortage of medicines. Nor is it the first time such scarcity has overlapped with a natural disaster, multiplying the sufferings of those affected. Indeed, the regulator Drap is mostly to blame for the recurring shortages due to weak regulatory enforcement and delays in decision-making. The regulatory authority has often received well-deserved flak for its inefficiency. However, fingers are also pointed at some in the pharma industry for contributing to the crises in order to pressure the regulatory authorities into conceding to their demands. Not just that, even the PMA’s demand — which echoes that of many drug manufacturers — for a ‘new, pragmatic pricing policy’ for medicines that are currently not available in the market could be taken as echoing the interests of manufacturers, rather than genuine concern for patients. Such a view is hardly surprising, given the perceived closed ties of pharma and the medical profession. Sadly, this is not the first time that patients’ interests have been brushed aside. With time running out, the government must act decisively to prevent the current shortages from spiralling into a full-blown health crisis.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025