Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Co-ordination has passed "The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016" with the commitment of relevant ministry to incorporate four amendments proposed by Senator Farhatullah Babar. The committee met with Senator Sajjad Hussain Turi in the chair at Parliament House on Monday where it discussed "The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016" and the issue of medicines price escalation.
The National Assembly already passed this Bill on March 16, 2016 and referred it to the Upper House of the Parliament for its approval. Senator Farhatullah Babar is not a member of the committee; however, he was especially invited by the chairman for consulting over the Bill and seeking his opinion.
Senior parliamentarian Senator Farhatullah Babar proposed four appropriate amendments in the Bill. All the members of the committee wholeheartedly supported the amendments. Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Co-ordination Saira Afzal Tarar immediately accepted first three amendments and sought time on forth amendment for further deliberations and consultation.
However, Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja strongly opposed the Bill and said that it should be referred to Council of Common Interests (CCI). He said that the Bill is against the spirit of 18th Constitutional Amendment. "We strongly oppose the Bill, it is tantamount to damaging the 18th Constitutional Amendment," he said. Farhatullah Babar proposed that the council should elect the President for four years and he/she should sit (office) in Islamabad and be available for 24 hours. He said that part time and remote control President would damage Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. While presenting second amendment, Babar said that the representatives of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan should be included in the Council. He said that according to the Bill, the federal government would nominate six members for the Council. He proposed that the provinces should give four names for the members of the Council instead of the federal government. He also proposed to give membership to College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) to the Council. Babar proposed that if we can not give membership to CPSP then we should give it the status of observer in the Council.
The Minister of State accepted it but linked it with comprehensive legislation for monitoring and over sighting the CPSP. Babar said that it is responsibility of the government to propose legislation to oversight the CPSP. He said that the opposition would cooperate with the government if it proposes legislation for CPSP. Saira Afzal Tarar said that time is very short, Ordinance relating to the authority is going to lapse on April 25 and legislation is very necessary before this date. While accepting first three proposals presented by Farhatullah Babar, she said that she has no objection if the provinces give names to the federal government for four members of the Council. She said that the provinces must give names without any controversy and conflict of interests.
About the representations of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan in the Council, she said that the Law Ministry has suggested to her ministry that under the law they cannot have representations in the Council as they function as state.
While responding to the Minister, Babar said, "we already raised such issue before the Law Ministry, it is not final authority, there are many examples such as recently military courts were established in the AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Law Ministry is answerless before such examples whereas final authority of the decisions is Parliament. The AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is part of Pakistan and their representation is very necessary in the Council". The Minister gave commitment in the meeting that the amendments proposed by Farhatullah Babar would be incorporated in the Bill when it would be tabled in the House for passage.
Later, the committee also discussed the escalation in the prices of drugs. Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh said that the policy board of the relevant authority should issue notification that licenses of those pharmaceutical companies would be cancelled if they increase price of medicines without approval of the Ministry. "You should promise that you will cancel licenses of those companies which have increased price of medicines. The board has power to cancel license of any pharmaceutical company,' he added.