MANSEHRA: Doctors across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have opposed any legislation or amendments to the Pharmacy Act 1967 that would curtail medical practitioners’ authority to prescribe and dispense medicines to patients.
“We will never accept amendments to the PMDC Act 2022, laws governing registered medical practitioners, the Drugs Rules and Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) of the Punjab and the federal territory, or any infringement on the professional domains of provincial healthcare commissions and patients’ legal rights,” Dr Mohammad Rizwan Rajpot, vice-chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professional Doctors Association, told reporters here on Sunday.
He said a delegation of senior doctors from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dr Zulfiqar Ali, Dr Hakeem Khan Marwat and Dr Khawaj Abid, met members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in Islamabad last week and conveyed their reservations about the proposed amendments to independent prescribing rules.
“The proposed amendment seeking to abolish Section 31 (4) of the Pharmacy Act 1967 is unacceptable to doctors, as it empowers registered medical practitioners to independently prescribe, dispense and supply medicines to patients at their clinics and hospitals. The PMDC upholds this authority in its rules and licensing framework,” Dr Rizwan said.
He said that the delegation led by him also raised concerns over the alleged appointment and frequent promotions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Deputy Secretary Drugs Mohammad Ibrahim.
“We want the NA’s high-level standing committee to investigate and hold accountable anyone responsible for discrepancies and misuse of authority and recommend punitive action if tampering with public documents is established,” Dr Rizwan said.
He added that the delegation had also asked the prime minister to order an inquiry into Category-B health education institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to identify alleged irregularities in the awarding of degrees.
Dr Rizwan said Dr Shaista and other members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services assured the delegation that its concerns would be taken up in their meeting for remedial measures accordingly.
Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2026
