High prices of medicines

KARACHI: A recent increase in the prices of medicines shows that the government has failed to provide relief to the common man. Pharmaceutical companies increased the prices of drugs from 15 to 70 per cent from January 25, 2016, without obtaining permission from the federal government. They issued the notice without an approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and directed its staff to charge customers as per the new rates.

Various mafia groups have already started fleecing patients. This is the reason that the majority of families are now consulting quacks and homeopathic doctors as they cannot afford allopathic treatment. How can a man who is the sole breadwinner of his family and earns Rs15,000 per month bear such expenses? The government needs to intervene.

Syed Ahsan Ali Shah

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2016.

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