Spurious drugs to be eliminated: minister

LAHORE :Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir has said the government would support and encourage the manufacturers of good quality medicines who observe Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in their units. However, no margin would be given to the elements involved in manufacturing of unregistered, spurious or substandard medicines.

He stated this while talking to a delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) which called on him on Thursday, according to a handout issued here. The delegation included Kh Shahzeb Akram, Muhammad Aziz Nagra and Tahir Alam. 

Kh Imran Nazir said that pharmaceutical industry had a big role in the economy of the country and it was earning millions of dollars foreign exchange by exporting medicines. He urged the PPMA to play an effective role in digging out such illegal manufacturing units which were involved in preparing substandard, unregistered and spurious drugs.

On this occasion, the PPMA delegates apprised the minister of the problems faced by the industry. They said that they were with the government in the campaign to eradicate the illegal business of spurious and substandard medicines from the province.

The minister said that a uniform and strong policy should be evolved at th country level against the heinous crime. He said that without launching vigorous campaign in all the provinces against spurious and substandard medicines, the illegal trade would not be eradicated completely. Kh Imran Nazir assured the delegates that the genuine demands and problems of the industry would be resolved.

Video: An NGO and Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) have collaborated for the release of an animated video titled “Tertiary Hospitals” to highlight the three tiers of the healthcare system in Punjab, and the features of tertiary hospitals specifically.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, “Tertiary Hospitals” is the first animation in a three-part series which aims to create awareness in citizens about the three tiers of the healthcare system in Punjab and their specific structure and functions. “Tertiary Hospitals” talks about the two departments found in any tertiary hospitals – emergency and outdoor – and what a patient should expect from both. Informing citizens about their rights and responsibilities as patients will ensure that healthcare facilities are not misused or wasted in Punjab.

The NGO seeks to provide accessible civic education and legal literacy to Pakistani citizens by creating strong visual content in Urdu. The content focuses on foundational subjects related to democratisation such as the constitution, fundamental rights, equality of citizens, governance and government structure, how a citizen can interact with the government and its agencies, and a citizen’s responsibilities to the state and fellow citizens.

Special Monitoring Unit led by Syeda Fatima Zaidi is a specialised unit within the Chief Minister’s Office which steers the reform agenda in health, education, water and solid waste management and monitors key flagship initiatives of the chief minister in the social sector.