Following depreciation in the local currency, pharmaceutical companies have increased prices of various medicines including life savings drugs putting huge financial burden on the people facing different ailments and requiring continuous medication.
On average basis, prices of medicines required for the treatment of potentially deadly diseases have been increased by Rs 399. This price hike would impact the rates of many medicines, including the life saving drugs such as medicines for heart ailments, brain diseases, cancer, children's diseases, epilepsy and post-surgical drugs etc.
During a market survey, it was revealed that the price of Triforge, a medicine for heart ailment, has been increased from Rs186 to Rs485, and the price of a medicine for controlling blood sugar has been increased from the previous Rs272 to Rs460. Likewise, the price of Erythrosine, a medicine for the treatment of throat-related diseases, has been increased from Rs548 to Rs921.
The price of Concor, a medicine for the treatment of blood pressure, has been raised from Rs162 to Rs235. The price of Disprin has been increased by Rs27. The price of Seizonil, the medicine required for the treatment of epilepsy has been raised upto Rs 220 from Rs 164.
Many pharmaceutical companies have increased the prices of life saving drugs by themselves, which in turn has put lives of patients in misery in the wake of current inflation.
The government has been facing strong criticism over the increase in the prices of medicines but no formal reaction/justification has been given.
Finance Minister Asad Umar, however, claimed that the rate of inflation in the tenure of PTI was lower as compared to the PML-N and PPP former governments in first six months of their respective tenures.
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has criticized the PTI-led government over soaring inflation.
Regarding the proposed Tax Amnesty Scheme, Marriyum termed it a "proof" of the government's "ineptness, incompetence and hypocrisy. Economy is being ruined due to arrogance and lies of Imran Khan."
She said: "Those who played politics over amnesty scheme have been granting facilities to the tax evaders. U-turn rulers are giving an open license of evading taxes while incompetent clique of politicians have ruined economy of the country."
Marriyum further said the PML-N had left the government with the GDP of 5.8 percent, and currently it has been decreased to around 3.5 percent, and ineffective policies of the incompetent government has resulted in inflation rate of 9.4 percent in just eight months. "Pakistan's debts have increased to Rs 3,500 billion," she added.