The National Assembly standing committee on health on Monday approved the draft of "Medical Devices Bill 2006" to regulate production and use of medical tools. The meeting held with MNA Hajira Tariq Aziz in the chair to discuss the bill that was earlier referred by the lower house of the parliament.
Briefing the meeting, health director-general Abdul Majid Rajput said sub-standard medical devices pose serious threat to the public health and reuse of disposable tools like syringes, infusion sets and intravenous cannula spread contagious and infectious diseases like hepatitis-B, C, HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases.
He continued the bill would regulate manufacturing, import, export, sale, quality and use of medical devices.
Hajira Aziz appreciated concern of the health ministry and opined the law would minimise the spread of these diseases. She stressed the ministry should devise a mechanism for strict implementation of the law after enactment by the parliament.
The committee, after thorough discussion, amended certain clauses of the draft bill that would be finally presented to the National Assembly for enactment.
Those who attended the meeting include Dr Donya Aziz, Onaza Ehsan, Malik Mohammad Saifullah Khan Tiwana, Dr Noor Jehan Panezai, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Dr Syed Javed Hussain, Maimoona Hashmi, Yasmin Rehman, Nawab Khalil Ahmed, Begum Husnain.
Parliamentary health secretary Rahila Yahya Munawar was specially invited to attend the meeting.