HYDERABAD, July 31: The Network for Consumers Protection (NCP), Islamabad, has expressed concern over the government move to deregulate the pharmaceutical sector and termed it a conspiracy against the people.

It said the proposed drug policy, drafted by the federal ministry of industry and production, was pro-pharmaceutical companies and anti-people.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Wednesday, the project coordinator, pharmaceuticals, NCP, Azhar Hussain and media coordinator Abuzar Waseem lashed out at the government for being insensitive towards the plight of consumers and succumbing to the pressure of vested interests.

The drug/health policy was always announced by the ministry of health but this time the government gave this task to the ministry of industry and production, they said.

The new policy draft, under consideration of the government, would deprive poor people of essential drugs as they would become costly and there would be no quality control over pharmaceutical companies as everyone would seek registration, they further said.

The NCP officials questioned the process through which the policy was being formulated and added that in the meeting of the ECC, held on July 22, all stake-holders, except consumers, were given a chance to express their views.

They demanded that consumer groups should also be given representation in the proposed committees, announced by Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.

While appreciating the announcement by President Gen Pervez Musharraf to include more drugs in the GST exemption list, they said the GST should be withdrawn on those drugs and medicines which were included in the National Essential Drug List.

About the deregulation policy, they said this would increase prices of drug manifold as the industry would be given a free hand to increase the prices without any control of the government.

On the issue of marketing and advertisement, the NCP officials said policy makers had assumed that drugs were like any other commodity, without recognising the fact that it was the doctor who could write prescription of a particular medicine.

They said the pharmaceutical sector was a regulated sector all over the world and the principles of free market economy could not be applied blindly to this sector.

Answering a question, they said the government was providing health care only to 20 per cent of the population whereas 50 to 60 per cent of the population could not purchase medicines.

They said the government had already experimented with the deregulation policy in 1993 but due to its demerits it had to be withdrawn in 1994.

Answering another question, they said the NCP had been founded ten years back to protect interests of consumers in every field.