KARACHI:
The skyrocketing prices of essential medicines in Pakistan have made healthcare a luxury for the poor. While inflation affects all sectors, the unaffordability of life-saving drugs is particularly alarming, pushing millions toward suffering and even premature death. The government must take urgent action to regulate drug prices and ensure accessible healthcare for all.
In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have repeatedly increased medicine prices, citing rising production costs and currency devaluation. However, these justifications offer little solace to a daily wage labourer who cannot afford basic antibiotics or diabetes medication. Many patients are forced to choose between buying food or medicines, while others resort to substandard or counterfeit drugs, risking their lives.
The government’s Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has failed to enforce strict price controls, allowing pharmaceutical giants to exploit the public. While some essential drugs are supposed to be price-capped, enforcement remains weak, and many pharmacies sell them at inflated rates. Additionally, public hospitals often face shortages, forcing patients to buy expensive medicines from private sellers.
The situation demands immediate intervention. The government should: strictly monitor and penalise pharmacies selling medicines above official rates; provide free or low-cost medicines through government hospitals and health centers; encourage domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing to reduce reliance on expensive imports; and expand health insurance, ensuring that programs like Sehat Card should cover a wider range of medicines for the poor.
Healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. If the state continues to neglect this crisis, the suffering of the poor will only worsen. Authorities must act now before more lives are lost due to unaffordable treatment.
Hasan Zahid
Wah Cantt
