No increase till 2016: drug pricing mechanism to be linked with CPI inflation, NA told

The government is not going to allow drug companies to increase prices of medicines by 2016 and after that the pricing mechanism will be linked with Consumer Price Index inflation. During the question hour in the National Assembly on Thursday, Minister for State for National Health Services, Regulations and Co-ordination Saira Afzal Tarar informed the house that the government was strictly monitoring prices of the drugs.
"By the end of this year, a concrete drugs pricing policy will be prepared to keep a check on cost of different drugs throughout the country," she said.
To a supplementary question, she said that some manufacturing companies had got stay order from the Supreme Court and that's why prices of some drugs are comparatively high in the market.
She said the government has conveyed a loud and clear message to the drug manufacturers that they should not raise the prices; otherwise the government would deal them with an iron hand.
"A drug pricing policy has been sent to the prime minister for approval and we hope to get positive news soon," she said.
The minister said that a particular mechanism for registration of the drugs is in place and local manufacturers are accorded priority in issuing licenses for drugs.
The health ministry was devolved to provinces under the 18th constitutional amendment, she said, adding that Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan was established under the federal government after consensus of all the stakeholders. "It will be a complete mess if all the provinces would start fixing drugs prices separately," she said, adding that it is in interest of the people to fix drugs prices at the federal level.
Minister for State for Water and Power informed the house that Rs 29,551.80 million have so far been spent on the construction of basic infrastructure of Diamer-Bhasha dam from 2009 to December 2014.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif informed the members that situation of load-shedding would improve significantly in next five to six days as hydel generation would increase from 600 megawatts to 3500 megawatts.
"The total capacity of hydropower is 6900 megawatts but now we are getting only 600 megawatts due to closure of the canals for dredging," he said.
The minister said the country is facing a power shortfall of around 3500 megawatts at the moment and this would decrease once the canals are reopened in a week.
"The canal dredging is an annual process and we have to face the worst load-shedding each year due to the compulsory phenomenon," he said.
The minister also assured the house that the government was taking concrete steps to overcome the energy crisis and people will face less load-shedding as compared to the previous years in the coming summer.
In a written reply, the minister said that his ministry has taken action against 3315 meter readers during the year 2013-14 for their involvement in corrupt practices.