Quality medicines in public sector: government mulling multinational healthcare company

In a bid to provide quality medicines to patients facing non-communicable diseases, the government is mulling a multinational healthcare company for providing a basket of high-quality medicines in the public sector. Under this initiative, the company will provide 15 medicines covering seven major diseases at very low cost to the government. For example, the government will only pay Rs 100 for breast cancer drugs that would normally cost Rs 23,000 and this will really help people who can't afford to pay this medicine for the whole year.
The scheme will be first piloted in Islamabad and the drugs will be available by prescription only to people already enrolled under the Prime Minister's National Health Programme. In order to maintain quality control over the drugs during the pilot phase, they will only be available from two stores in the capital and will be computerised and carefully monitored. The programme is expected to start within six months.
Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said this initiative will help provide free quality treatment facilities to those suffering from chronic diseases. She said the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is disproportionally affecting the poorest people and worsening the burden of poverty.
"Health is not something where you invest money and see results today or tomorrow, it's not like building roads" but you will definitely see the benefit over the next few years," she said. According to the World Bank, chronic diseases account for 59 percent of the total disease burden in Pakistan and cause 50 percent of deaths every year in the country.
Head of Novartis Social Business, Dr Harald Nusser, remarked "We plan to start small in public hospitals in Islamabad and then scale up. We intend to make this programme long-lasting and available across the country so we are combining a business component into this social endeavour. Pakistan is an important country for us and we already have a team of over 500 employees working on the ground."