The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services has directed the Health Ministry to take urgent measures to ensure that essential medicines remain affordable for the public, following widespread concerns over sharp price increases in recent months.
Committee Calls for Balance Between Public Interest and Business Viability
During a meeting chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, the committee reviewed a compliance report from the health ministry, which stated that efforts were being made to stabilize medicine prices.
The committee stressed that while ensuring investor confidence and maintaining reasonable profit margins for pharmaceutical companies is important, the interests of ordinary citizens must remain a top priority. It also emphasized that production cost hikes and wage increases should be properly justified, urging the ministry to monitor the Drug Regulatory Authority (SCR) and ongoing research initiatives for greater transparency in price setting.
Among those attending the session were senators Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, Rubina Khalid, Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, Dilawar Khan, and Syed Masroor Ahsan, along with Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and senior officials.
Doctors Raise Alarm Over Rising Drug Prices
The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has voiced strong concerns regarding the dramatic increase in medicine prices since the implementation of the deregulatory policy.
PIMA President Prof. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said the surge has made basic treatment unaffordable for many, even those in middle-income households. He noted that with less than 1% of Pakistan’s GDP allocated to healthcare, the rising costs have further limited access to essential medicines.
“The combination of scarce health resources and skyrocketing medicine prices has created a crisis for patients,” Siddiqui warned, urging the government to take immediate corrective measures.
Call for Policy Reforms and Price Regulation
PIMA has called for a comprehensive review of the drug deregulation framework, pushing for policies that guarantee both affordability and availability of essential medicines nationwide.
While promoting investment and local manufacturing is crucial for growth, the association emphasized that these objectives should not come at the expense of patients’ well-being.
