MULTAN, May 8: The local chapter of Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA) on Wednesday criticized the composition of district quality control boards, terming it against the drugs rules 1988.

PCDA district Chairman Muhammad Akhtar Butt said the provincial health department had recently constituted quality control boards in all the 34 districts of the Punjab as a part of the devolution plan.

Appreciating the step, he took notice of the absence of public representatives on the boards who were supposed to ensure provision of quality medicines to the masses.

He maintained the provincial quality control board was earlier constituted under the Punjab drugs rules of 1976 and 1988. Initially, he said, there were only government officials on the board but, later, the bureaucracy had to induct public representatives and businessmen on the protest of pharma trade.

If the health department did not rationalize the composition of boards, Mr Butt warned that the PCDA would move court against the ‘unjust’ formation.