The skyrocketing prices of essential medicines across Pakistan are a serious cause for concern. For ordinary families, purchasing life-saving medicines has become a huge financial burden, turning routine illnesses into tragic financial burdens.
The cost of even common medicines for diseases like diabetes, heart ailments and blood pressure has increased by up to 30% in recent months, mainly due to the rupee’s devaluation and lack of price control on imported raw materials. This situation is particularly critical for the poor, who are now forced to ration their medication or stop treatment entirely, sacrificing their health simply because they cannot afford the price tag on their well-being.
Furthermore, the scarcity of several critical drugs adds to the suffering. The government’s failure to stabilise the currency and properly regulate the pharmaceutical sector has essentially created a ‘health apartheid’ where only the wealthy can afford to be consistently treated.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and the Ministry of Health must immediately implement price controls on essential and scheduled medicines. The government must treat medicine as a fundamental right, not a luxury commodity, and act now to mitigate the human suffering caused by this unbearable crisis.
Zoya Khattak
Rawalpindi
