Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh. Salman Rafique has said that elimination of spurious and sub-standard drugs is the vision of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association should cooperate with the government in this regard.
He was talking to a delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association which called on him at Civil Secretariat, here today. Parliamentary Secretary Health and Vice Chairman on Spurious Drugs Task Force Kh. Imran Nazir, Secretary Health Jawwad Rafique Malik, Secretary Prosecution Deptt Syed Ali Murtaza, Additional Secretary drug control Dr. Muhammad Ameer, Director Law, Dr. Riaz Ahmed, PPMA delegations members Amjad Ali Jawa, Qazi Mansoor Dilawer, Mian Asad Shuja, Mohammad Zaka, Mohammad Asad, Barrister Haroon Duggal and other officers were present in the meeting. Khawaja Salman Rafique said that government is not against any industry but want to promote pharmaceutical industries as thousands of persons are associated with this sector while it is also a source of earning huge foreign exchange. However, provision of quality medicines to the patients is also a joint responsibility of government and PPMA.
Kh. Salman Rafique said that PPMA’s reservations regarding recent amendments in Drug Act would be addressed. He said the main objective of all the reforms is to protect public interest and provision of quality medicines to patients and this responsibility would be fulfilled at any cost. Vice chairman Drug Task Force Kh. Imran Nazir said that there should be a strict check and balance to maintain standards to stop loss of lives due to use of sub-standard and spurious drugs. PPMA delegation demanded that their reservations regarding the definitions of sub-standard and spurious drugs should be addressed. Advisor on Health Kh. Salman Rafique directed to convene a joint meeting of technical committee of the department and representatives of PPMA on Sept. 4, (Friday) in the committee room of DGHS to resolve technical issues and prepare recommendations for the Chief Minster.