Government yet to prescribe vitamin policy

Legislation is awaited since last nine years, while profiteers sell imported vitamin combinations at exorbitant prices

ISLAMABAD: The absence of a vitamin policy does not bode well for people, save for a group that is making the most of this predicament.

A government official told The Express Tribune that these parties are importing banned combinations of vitamins and selling them in the market at exorbitant prices.

A senior physician, who is also a government official, said that nine years ago the Ministry of Health banned manufacturing of irrational combinations of vitamins in the country (vitamin combinations that are not yet approved for manufacturing in Pakistan).

At the time, the ministry said that manufacturing of such combinations would only be allowed after the announcement of the vitamin policy.

“Nine years have passed since then. To tap this gap, some unscrupulous parties have started importing these formulas from United Kingdom, US, China and India,” he said.

These vitamins are imported for Rs100 to 150 but sold in the local market for Rs500 to 600.

“Due to the absence of a mechanism to keep a check on the prices of unregistered drugs no action can be taken against such people,”
he added.

According to the documents obtained by The Express Tribune, a draft of the vitamin policy was prepared after detailed deliberation by the Drug Registration Board in November 2010. In addition to this, the Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association and Pharma Bureau proposed that vitamins be registered under the Drugs Act 1976.

Director General Health,
Dr Assad Hafeez, said the draft had been finalised and would be announced within a few weeks.

A report “Investing in the future: A united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies” by the World Bank and other development agencies claims that two-thirds of children in Pakistan suffer from iodine deficiency disorders.

Besides this, iron deficiency anemia is also widespread, as it present in about 51 per cent of pre-school children, 39 per cent of pregnant women and 28 per cent of non-pregnant women.

Similarly, Vitamin A and Zinc deficiencies are also considered as major nutritional and public health problems that affect millions of children under-five and women of childbearing age in the country.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Arif Azad, Executive Coordinator, The Networks for Consumer Protection said the policy will help regulate the availability and sale of vitamins in the market.

“By remaining silent on this issue, the Ministry of Health is playing with the life of the people. In Pakistan, vitamins are usually taken on self-medication basis,” he said.

But just making the drugs available is not enough. There are health specialists who are not aware of the essential and required vitamins and their Recommended Dietary Allowances.

“These physicians just prescribe them, without knowing that overdose of some of the vitamins could cause serious health hazards,” a doctor told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.