Plan to set up Pharma Economic Zone

Govt aims to draw Chinese investment in pharma sector, promote medical tourism

ISLAMABAD:

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is pushing ahead with plans to establish a Pharma Economic Zone under public-private partnership (PPP) mode to promote medical tourism and draw investment in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, it desires to set up a Medical/Health City as part of the PPP model.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination had been directed to discuss the proposal of Pharma Economic Zone along with setting up a Medical City by bringing relevant stakeholders on board. These deliberations will help identify the right industrial mix and other development modalities with the objective of promoting medical tourism and effective health services.

Sources pointed out that Pakistan was already working on establishing Special Economic Zones under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the government was likely to allocate one economic zone for the pharma industry. This will encourage China to pour investment into the pharma zone.

Price deregulation

To attract investment in the pharma industry, the government is studying a proposal to deregulate prices of those pharma products which fall in the less essential category.

Sources said that the government had directed the health ministry to explore viable options for separating the pricing function and the role of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) by taking DRAP and the Ministry of Industries on board.

Its objective is to shield the rights of consumers as well as business objectives of pharma companies. In this context, the ministries concerned are drawing up recommendations for a new structure for regulation and implementation including effective but minimal monitoring by the government.

Apart from that, Pakistan is looking to export manpower, especially nurses, to Middle Eastern countries. Pakistani nurses are already working in Saudi Arabia and the government wants to send more nurses to the Gulf Arab nation. In this regard, the government has asked the health ministry to share a concept note including suggestions to integrate and synergise the healthcare ecosystem with P3A (Public Private Partnership Authority) and the SIFC for the development of a pre-feasibility study.

The health ministry has also been directed to take the Law Division and provinces on board while drafting the National Policy Framework for Nursing and Midwifery. The ministry has been asked to prepare an action plan with timelines for finalising the pre-feasibility study and the framework.

The government has directed the health ministry to discuss the way forward with different stakeholders to cater to the rising demand for nurses abroad, by identifying supply-side bottlenecks and devising firm recommendations to enhance the availability of qualified and certified nursing staff for the international market.

The health ministry will share the concept note with consultants in order to prepare a pre-feasibility study.