ISLAMABAD: In response to the call from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the local pharmaceutical industry has stepped up to help flood-affected regions. Medicines, medical supplies, and essential equipment worth Rs40 million have been donated to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. These areas are battling outbreaks of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, leaving hundreds in urgent need of treatment.
The support, mobilised in response to the Prime Minister’s appeal, comes as health authorities report a surge in diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, malaria, typhoid, skin infections and respiratory tract diseases in camps and submerged villages.
According to the federal Ministry of Health and DRAP, the donated stock includes a wide range of life-saving and supportive treatments: antibiotics, anti-malarials, anti-diarrhoeals, antipyretics, analgesics, intravenous fluids, oral rehydration salts, antifungals, antiseptics, and respiratory medicines, along with diagnostic kits, surgical items and personal protective equipment. Officials stated that the list was prepared after a careful assessment of prevailing disease patterns in the flood-affected regions, where stagnant water, collapsed sanitation systems and contaminated drinking water have created an environment ripe for epidemics.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal praised the contribution of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) and local drug companies, calling it a timely intervention that would help save countless lives. “The Pakistani pharmaceutical industry has always risen to the occasion. Whether during natural disasters or public health emergencies, it has stood by the government and supported distressed communities,” the minister said during a meeting with PPMA Chairman Tauqeer-ul-Haq.
Tauqeer-ul-Haq, speaking on behalf of the association, underlined that the industry considered this contribution part of its moral and national duty. “We have ensured that the medicines dispatched match the needs of flood victims, particularly children suffering from diarrhoeal diseases, pregnant women requiring safe antibiotics, and malaria patients in stagnant water zones,” he said. “Beyond our borders too, Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry has extended help in times of human suffering. We sent medicines to Afghanistan, Gaza, and other regions where people were trapped in crises—be it conflict, famine or floods. This is part of our belief that saving lives transcends borders.” He added that local pharmaceutical companies had worked tirelessly to mobilise medicines within a matter of days, coordinating with DRAP and health authorities. “This reflects the resilience of Pakistan’s pharma sector, which not only fulfils over 70 percent of domestic drug requirements but also ensures a rapid response during emergencies.”
Health experts have warned that the current outbreaks in KP and GB could escalate if preventive measures are not intensified. With access roads washed away and many health facilities damaged, thousands of families are living in overcrowded shelters, raising the risk of secondary outbreaks such as measles, cholera and pneumonia. Children and elderly residents remain the most vulnerable.
Officials at DRAP stated that the donated medicines were being distributed through provincial health departments to ensure equitable supply to district hospitals and mobile health units. They stressed that additional consignments could be dispatched depending on the evolving needs on the ground.
Public health specialists noted that the spread of diarrhoeal and respiratory infections is already placing an additional burden on under-resourced health workers. They warned that if medicines, clean water and hygiene interventions are not sustained, the risk of large-scale epidemics looms over flood-hit districts well into the post-monsoon months. The Health Minister assured that the federal government would continue to engage with the private sector and humanitarian organisations to meet the growing needs of the affected population. “This partnership is vital to bridging gaps at a time when government resources are stretched thin,” he said.