ISLAMABAD: Nov 30, 2022: Prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif , has constituted an ‘18-member’ committee to suggest the increase in lifesaving drugs. The committee included three senior federal cabinet members, Finance minister, Ishaq Dar, Health minister, Qadir Patel, Economic Affairs Division (EAD)( and Law minister, Ayaz Sadiq, advisor Ahad Cheema, Special assistant , Dr Jahanzeb Khan and secretary ministry of National Health Services.
Those who have been picked-up by the prime minister from Pharma industry to become a part of the ‘committee’ included Mr Farooq Bukhari Chairman PPMA, Ms Irum Shakir, Chairperson Pharma Bureau, Qasim Khalid Waheed Ferozesons Laboratory Limited, Syed Wajeehuddin, Pfizer Ltd Karachi,Zahid Saeed Indus Pharma Karachi, Mian Khalid Misbahur Rehman , PCW Lahore, Ms Aysha Tummy Haq Pharma Bureau, Tauqeer ul Haq , Sante, Qazi Mansoor Dilawar, Searle Infusion Karachi,, Asad Shuja ur Rehman, Schazoo SPL and Farhan Haroon , GSK Consumers Karachi.
The ‘committee’ is consisted of like-minded members and the drug mafia will have no problem in getting desired increase in drug prices to fleece the patients. The drug prices in Pakistan are already much higher in Pakistan than any other country of the region.
A notification issued by the federal government dated November 25, 2022 to this effect indicates the pharma industry has been given top priority in the committee with its 11 members. The inclusion of owners of top 11 pharmaceutical companies clearly suggests the entire practice of forming the ‘committee and formulating recommendations’ for the ‘increase’ in the prices of lifesaving drugs was based on dishonesty and the sole purpose of forming the ‘committee’ with 11 owners of phamra companies was nothing, but an eye wash to avoid any legal problem in the case the matter lands in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at any later stage.
Since April last when PMLN led government came in, the drug manufacturing mafia is striving for the increase in lifesaving drugs. This mafia held negotiations with a federal minister who is also a part of the committee to give him a lumpsum benefit for the increase he would facilitate, but the deal did not work as the federal minister demanded 3 percent of total increase that was proposed 15 percent and the payment on monthly basis.
After failing to reach to a deal with the federal minister, the drug mafia rushed to London to meet a self-exiled Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leader to get the deal done.
Sources told NEWSMAN on condition of not mentioning his name that the drug mafia has managed to strike a deal as two important federal ministers who are part of the committee will facilitate pharma mafia to get the increase in the drug prices as much as it desires. These sources also claim that the official gang led by two key federal ministers have ensured 25 percent increase in the rates of lifesaving drugs and in return the official gang will get 3 percent of the benefit that will go to the drug manufacturers after the increase.
The drug mafia always strike in PMLN rule. It enjoyed a stay order for years in PMLN when Mr Ishaq Dar was a federal Finance minister . Then a lady Health minister of PMKN played a role in 2014 to help the drug mafia change the pricing mechanism to link the increase in lifesaving drugs with Consumers Price Index (CPI). Linking the increase in drug prices with CPI is a peculiar case of Pakistan . CPI determine the increase in the consumers’ items prices, but lusty lady Health minister got the rates of drugs linked with CPI. This CPI based formula bit the patients of this country 14 times in Pakistan Tehreek- e- Insal (PTI) as it pushed drug prices 14 times in its rule of around four years . Here again a lady close to PTI top leadership was the real beneficiary.
Now the same Mr Dar is back again and drug mafia is close to get its desired increase in lifesaving drugs.
Commenting on the formation of the committee to suggest the increase in drug prices, Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum president , Noor Mahar , said the constitution of the committee with majority of its members from the pharma sector is like a fraud with poor nation. Had the prime minister any sympathy for the poor and patients of this country he would have not included such a big number of pharma owners in the committee, he concluded.