Minister for checking spurious drugs

LAHORE :Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir has directed the officers of District Quality Control Boards (DQCB) to play their key role efficiently in elimination of spurious, substandard and unregistered drugs from the province. He directed the DQCBs and drug inspectors to dispose of the pending cases of drugs on priority. 

He stated this while chairing a meeting of District Quality Control Boards of all the districts at the DGHS office on Monday, according to a handout issued here. Besides Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan, Addl Secretary Drug Wing Muhammad Sohail and all the officers concerned attended the meeting.

Kh Imran Nazir said provision of quality medicines to people is their basic right and the government would take all steps for providing them their right. The minister said that substandard medicines are also big cause of spreading diseases and their elimination is need of the hour.

Kh Imran Nazir said officers of DQCBs and drug inspectors should discharge their duties considering it as a national obligation. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif wants complete eradication of illegal trade of substandard and spurious drugs from the province for which the CM has constituted taskforce. The minister lauded the untiring efforts of Chief Minister Taskforce on spurious and substandard medicines. He said a lot of achievements have been made by the CM Taskforce and a number of illegal manufacturing units have been seized. 

Kh Imran Nazir disclosed that special pay package would be given to the drug inspectors and the officers of DQCBs and he has started working on it. He said he will submit a summary for the approval of the CM in this regard. He said good results can be attained by paying good incentives.

He said the whole system is being overhauled and new initiatives are being introduced based on the information technology. Therefore, officers and the staff have to accelerate their working capacity. He said lethargic and shirkers would not be adjusted in the new system and they have to mend their ways.

Land reclaimed: Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) Punjab has reclaimed land of an expatriate worth Rs 2.5 million.

OPC Punjab Commissioner Afzaal Bhatti said that Khalid Jafri, settled in California, USA, filed a complaint that some illegal occupants have captured his one kanal and 18 marla land situated in Chak Jaffar Ali Shah, Pakpatan. The complaint was forwarded to District Overseas Pakistanis Committee (DOPC) Pakpatan. The district office made efforts and reclaimed his land. Afzaal Bhatti said half of the received complaints of expatriates have been resolved so far.