Health ministry presses ahead with DRAP interviews

Dozen candidates issued letters to appear for review before six-member committee

KARACHI: The health ministry is apparently pressing ahead with the process for appointing a new head for the top drug regulator, despite a recruitment ban imposed by the apex poll body.

The National Health Services Regulation and Coordination Department on Tuesday issued letters to 12 candidates vying for the vacant post of the chief executive officer at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

The post fell vacant after its former incumbent Dr Aslam Afghani retired late last month.



It has been learnt that the health ministry is mulling plans to make the temporary assignment of Akhtar Sheikh permanent with the federal health minister has already held a meeting with him. He has also been included in the list of candidates vying for the hot seat.

However, the health ministry may be falling afoul of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The top poll body on April 11 had issued a notification banning new recruitments in all government departments until the general elections are over. Only those recruitments were exempted who had been interviewed before April 1.



Interviews a formality

Sources claim that the interviews would just be a formality since the candidates selected for the interview are not highly qualified.

Sheikh, they said, was expected to sail through the gruelling interview before a six-member interview committee. The committee would be chaired by Health Secretary Kamran Baloch and comprise additional secretary for law and a joint secretary of the establishment was included in the committee. Three private members have also been included in the committee, two of whom are pharmacy graduates in pharmacy.

The experts included in the interview committee are said to be directly associated with the transportation and trade of drugs and are included as members of a sub-committees of the drug regulator.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2018.