The Merck Marker (Pvt) Ltd Pakistan, a pharmaceutical firm having its production facility in Quetta, is eyeing new markets to expand its export business, and soon it will be entering the Myanmar (former Burma) market to broaden its business to Asean.
Merck Managing Director Jurgen Konig said at an informal get-together/lunch at a local hotel on Wednesday that they started the export business three years back entering the market of Afghanistan first and then Sri Lanka and Maldives, and now eyeing Burma. "We are also going to introduce a new product for diabetics for the first time in Pakistan," he said.
To a question regarding variation in medicine prices between India and Pakistan, he said it was a wrong perception that drugs were cheaper in the former as compared to the latter.
To another question, he said he was not satisfied with the regulatory policy of Pakistan for the pharmaceutical industry, adding for the last 4 years the inflation rate in the country has risen between 8 and 10 percent while the last price adjustment in drugs was made in 2001. Providing quality medicines at affordable prices to the customer was his company's policy, he further said.
Jurgen Konig said the Merck since start of its operation in Pakistan is involved in a number of welfare activities in the health sector, environment, education and culture. As far as health sector is concerned, it has held a number of free medical camps especially in the remote areas of Balochistan where there were no proper health facilities, he added.
The expansion of causality ward of the Quetta Civil Hospital, the reconstruction of accident and emergency ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, the construction of a 12-bed dispensary at in Minora and Bhit Island are the other initiatives taken by the company to cater to the medical needs of poor people living there, he said, adding: "We are also going to launch a big project in health sector at Lahore."
About the environment, he said the company had built a roundabout in Quetta called Merck Chowk besides undertaking Hana Lake plantation project. In last two years, they had planted 1,000 saplings there besides arraigning water for dried out lake. By next March, 1,000 more saplings will be planted there for its beautification, he stated.
About the education sector, Jurgen Konig said that Merck Marker, which is a joint venture between Merck and Marker family of Quetta, laid the foundation of adult literacy programme at the factory in Quetta. It is also sponsoring two high schools and a college in Quetta in collaboration with The Citizens Foundation (TCF). Moreover the company is also contributing towards the noble cause of rehabilitation of earthquake victims.
The company also took the initiatives to promote ethnic culture through its calendars, including promotion of embroidery work of Balochistan, landscapes of different parts of the country, painted by artists, he added.
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