Heated tobacco products: NA body voices concern over decision to legalise sale

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services on Thursday, while expressing serious concern over legalising the sale of heated tobacco products in the country, has urged the prime minister to withdraw the decision.

The committee met under the chairmanship of Dr Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla while taking notice of the SRO issued by the FBR legalising the sale of heated tobacco products decided to write to the prime minister to withdraw the decision and give a personal hearing to the Standing Committee on NHSR&C on the issue.

The committee was of the view that worldwide such products were being banned and if the sale of such products was allowed, they would play havoc with the health of the public, especially with the youth.

The panel further directed the ministry to intervene and address the state of affairs in the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). The committee took serious note of the defiant behaviour of the Registrar Nursing and retrieving of all the records of the Council.

The panel also directed to immediately repatriate Assistant Registrar to her parent department, saying the officer was aiding the registrar in her unlawful acts. The president Pakistan Nursing Council apprised the committee that the registrar acting unlawfully took possession of all the records and data of the Council and refused to hand it over despite several written directions. She informed that her accomplice a computer operator attempted to destroy records placed on the server of Comsats.

The president PNC further informed that the registrar and her accomplice had been suspended and a case against both of them has been referred to the FIA for inquiry. She said that the vice president of the Council had also attempted to summon an unlawful meeting of the Council which had no legal effect.

The special secretary of the ministry informed the committee that the issue was grave and the ministry would take appropriate action and submit a report to the committee.

The committee while discussing the recent conduct of the MDCAT tests viewed that a portion of the test paper was out of the syllabus, therefore, this needs to be taken into account. The committee directed the ministry to ask Pakistan Medical Commission to stop finalisation of lists of successful candidates till the issue was under consideration by the committee.

The committee also directed the ministry to ensure the in-person presence of the president, the vice president and the secretary of the PMC in its meeting to be convened next week.

The panel also visited different laboratories and research facilities at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The executive director of NIH apprised the committee members about the performance of the laboratories and research being undertaken therein.

The committee appreciated the performance of the NIH and directed the management to turn it into a world-class institute in health research and vaccines’ production. The committee asked the executive director of NIH to work on the initiation of indigenous production of vaccines presently being imported from abroad. The committee also appreciated the role of the NIH in the Covid pandemic and recent floods.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022