The Sindh legislators on Friday showed concerns over the "arbitrary" increase in medicine prices by the manufacturers, saying the move is against the 18th Constitutional Amendment and would badly hit the poor citizens. The House with Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khohro in Chair witnessed, expressed apprehension over the medicine prices increase between 80 percent and 100 percent, saying the pharmaceutical sector could not raise the rates without consulting provinces.
Earlier, the MQM's Syed Khalid Ahmad raised the issue on the Assembly floor with concerns of poor citizens would not be able to purchase even ordinary and daily consumption of medicines for nearly 100 percent surge in their prices. In reply, the Sindh Health Minister, Dr Sagheer Ahmad, also showed disappointment and fear regarding the medicine prices increase, saying the move without the agreement of provinces is against the Devolution Amendment to the Constitution. He said it is an 'arbitrary' step to raise prices of medicine between 80 percent and 100 percent.
He said the increase would have negative impact on the public health and asked the government "what are we going to give the citizens?" He termed the price surge a "condemnable" act by some people who without taking the elected representatives into confidence have increased the value.
Nisar Khohro said the Assembly Laws prescribed a way to enable the legislators to bring issues to the House for discussing and solution but refused anyone else to speak on the medicine price increase for want of time. However, meantime, PPP's Rafiq Engineer suggested the issue could be raised with the Federal authorities through inter-provincial co-ordination committee, saying the medicines' subject is formerly enlisted in the concurrent list but after 18th Amendment the discretion shifted to provinces. Speaker observed the Assembly during the continued session had adopted a resolution to allow the Federal Government to formulate rules and set up a Drug Regulatory Authority.
The House also approved a resolution moved by PPP's lawmaker, Syed Javed Shah to form a special committee to discuss the issue of privilege breach by the police through raiding his farm house without warrants. He earlier tabled a privilege motion under rule 58 of the Rules of Procedures of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh against the police for raiding and carrying out search operation at his farm, detaining the manager and farmers.
The Speaker asked to convince the House under the law through supportive arguments to ensure the motion has the worth for admissibility for further discussion. The House also approved of his plea, as Sindh Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ayaz Soomro referred the motion to special committee to hear his request.
The privilege committee of the assembly has not so far chosen its chairman Soomro told the House after Speaker asked him about the status of the dysfunctional committee. The House, however, for want of time did not introduce/consider the Habib University Bill 2012, and the Speaker could not announce assent to the Sindh Motion Picture Bill, 2011, and The Sindh Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2011.
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