After the devolution of Health Ministry to provinces under the 18th Amendment, the pharmaceutical industry may face colossal losses, closure of business and sharp decline in exports, as drug registration, issuing licences etc are the federal subjects.
The representatives of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association (PPMA) expressed these concerns at a seminar titled 'Devolution of health sector and its impact on pharmaceutical industry', held here on Monday.
They said that last year the industry had registered a growth of 37 percent in exports, which was likely to be ruined if transferred to the provinces. The seminar was organised by the Association of Health Journalists in collaboration with the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH).
Giving core presentation, Barrister Ali Zafar, questioned who will provide, govern and regulate licenses for the import and export of drugs, the Centre or the Province? Similarly, there shall be no uniform quality-control method, if provinces are to govern and regulate drugs and medicines, thereby creating great hurdles for the people as one drug may be declared safe in one province and may be banned in the other.
If provinces are to govern and regulate procedures for registration, this shall have devastating impact as a drug under the name 'X' may be registered in Sindh for pain relief, and a drug with the same name 'X' can be registered in Punjab as medication for cholesterol control. This bafflement could cause serious health hazards which would directly contribute to the rise in morbidity and mortality as two drugs, having two totally different medicinal properties, would be available in the same province under the same name but registered in different provinces, he opined.
He suggested that a Drug Regularity Authority (DRA) should be formed and be assigned all the mentioned tasks and a 19th amendment to the Constitution could also be done for the inclusion of 'Drugs and medicines' in the Federal Legislative List or add 'Drugs and medicines' in Article 142 (b) of the Constitution.
Chairman NA Standing Committee on Health Dr Nadeem Ehsaan, who was the chief guest on the occasion, informed that his committee had already suggested that all subjects relating to drug registration, pricing and manufacturing are federal. He said that the committee will also meet Senator Raza Rabbani late February or early March to discuss these issues.
Ehsaan also informed that he is going to call a meeting of provincial secretaries of health on the subject next month.
Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said that the formation of DRA was the answer to the woes of pharmaceutical sector. MNA Dr Donyia Aziz also endorsed the suggestion of establishing a Drug Regulatory Authority and said that there should be a uniform national strategy and laws to address such issues.
Giving examples, she referred to Sindh Health Department, which has passed a bill for mandatory use of auto destructive syringes and suggested that this bill should be replicated in all other provinces as well.
PPMA Chairman Haroon Qasim said that the industry may face losses worth billion of rupees due to prevailing uncertainty between the small and large drug manufacturers due to devolution of powers. The imports and exports would be affected while local and foreign investors would shy away from this sector due to ambiguity, he added.
Qasim was of the view that drug manufacturers were concerned at the development that the drug and medicine sector, which was the part of the concurrent list, had become provincial subject and provinces were asked to establish infrastructure for drug registration. The Centre took 40 years to develop drug testing and registration mechanism, how a similar system can be created in the provinces within a year, he questioned.
He said that according to Planning Commission of Pakistan, pharma is the 3rd largest industry and one of the most competitive industries in the country, exporting drugs and medicines to over 60 countries. This industry which is providing direct and indirect employment to nearly 4 million people also fulfils over 90 percent of the country's drug requirements, thus saving enormous foreign exchange, as only less than 10 percent of the medicines need to be imported, he explained.
The seminar was attended by MNA Dr Donia Aziz, Chairman PPMA Haroon Qasim, President Association of Health Journalists Tufail Ahmed, Dr Shaista Sohail Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Senior Vice President Chamber of Commerce Rawalpindi, Mian Atique.