ISLAMABAD: The drug mafia had a good day on Tuesday when it managed to get another increase in the drugs prices from the federal cabinet.
The new increase in the prices of drugs, approved by the federal cabinet chaired by prime minister, Imran Khan,here was 13th in a row during Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) rule of three years.
The same federal cabinet had previously approved 12 upward revisions in the drug prices.
This is a new record of jacking- up of the life-saving drugs’ prices by any “elected ” government.
The repeated increase in the drugs prices have made the patients and their family members’ lives miserable as majority of them is not financially able to buy high priced drugs any more .
But the mafia involved in exorting every penny for its products is still on the loose. Its not missing any chance to get stamped from the federal cabinet summaries to get more prices of life- saving drugs.
The mafia behind repeated increase in the prices of drugs is fully backed by the high ups of the federal Health ministry and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan ◇
(DRAP).
The high ups of the ministry of Health and DRAP are using a novel policy of price index based on inflation rate to get proportionate increase in the drugs prices.
A well placed source in the Health ministry told NEWSMAN that Saira Afzal Tarar , the federal Health minister in Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) government, was instrumental in introducing price index formula to get desired increase in drugs prices on behalf of the pharma mafia.
According to the source, Nawaz Sharif, as a prime minister smelled bad intention behind this formula and he not only repremanded his Health minister, Saira Afzal Tarar, for it, but also stopped implementation on this formula.
The source said the mafia which had support of Saira Afzal Tarar in PMLN rule got in action when PTI came into power in 2018. The officials of the Health ministry and DRAP are pampering the pharma mafia to get repeated increase in drug prices.
President of pharmacists and lawyers forum, Noor Mahar, strongly criticised the PTI goverment for yet another increase in the drugs prices.
Talking to NEWSMAN by phone from Lahore, Noor Mahar said ” Its terrible that the federal cabinet is protecting and patronising drug mafia by granting it time and again increase in the drugs prices”.