THIS refers to prime minister’s orders to health authorities for reducing the increase in the drug prices. My wife uses Serc 24 twice a day for vertigo. Previously, I was purchasing it for Rs500, while it now costs Rs1,000 which is beyond my purchase limit, for I am a Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) pensioner.

This increase in drug prices which is against the PM’s orders has increased my misery because whenever the government increases pension, the PTCL pays only 50 per cent of it. This has been going on since July 2010 despite our repeated pleas to authorities concerned. Nobody presses the PTCL to pay the deducted amount to poor pensioners who are dependent on pension.

I request the prime minister to ensure medicine prices are decreased and order the PTCL to pay the deducted amount of pension as early as possible.

Rais Ahmed Zaidi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2019