PAC panel urges affordable medicines

Reviews compliance report submitted by health ministry on drug pricing

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services has urged the government to balance investor confidence and business margins with public interest to keep essential medicines affordable.

The panel, chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, met at Parliament House to discuss a range of key issues concerning the health sector.

It recommended that, while maintaining investor confidence and allowing reasonable profit margins, the interests of the common man must be safeguarded to keep essential medicines affordable.

Matters, including the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the status of polio eradication efforts, and the performance of the National Council for Homeopathy, were briefly discussed during the meeting.

The committee also reviewed the compliance report submitted by the Ministry of National Health Services on medicine pricing, hardship cases, and new drug registrations.

It stressed that wage hikes and production costs must be reasonably justified, and urged the ministry to review the activities of the SCR and ongoing research and development initiatives to ensure transparency and efficiency in the pricing process.

While discussing the Drap (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur commended the committee's ongoing efforts and expressed her support for its recommendations.

The health minister cautioned that sudden changes to the regulatory framework could disrupt the national pharmaceutical sector, emphasising the need for stability, while committee chairman called for a balanced and well-structured approach to the proposed amendments.

The minister assured the committee that the ministry would present a comprehensive plan of action and ensure that all stakeholders, including the incoming administration, are consulted in the reform process.

The committee was also briefed on the progress of polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, where Senator Masroor Ahsan voiced concern over the virus' persistence despite multiple vaccination drives.

The minister told the committee that poor sanitation, unhygienic conditions, and contaminated sewage water remain key factors behind the virus' persistence, particularly in Karachi, Lahore, and southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

He added that vaccination efforts alone cannot succeed without tackling these environmental causes.

Senator Chishti stressed that eliminating polio demands collective responsibility at the grassroots level, along with accountability from elected representatives and local government bodies.