Pak health, drug bodies join hands to revive medical sector in Afghanistan

Islamabad: Pakistan health authorities and drug manufacturers have joined hands to revive healthcare sector in Afghanistan by providing necessary medicines and medical supplies, training healthcare professionals and workers and making their hospitals functional following US pullout.

In this regard, Pakistani drug manufacturers on Thursday handed over medicines and medical supplies worth Rs160 million to federal health authorities for Afghanistan and vowed to continue the support in terms of medicines and supplies for the people of war-ravaged neighbouring country.

“PM Imran Khan has directed us to help Afghanistan in the area of healthcare and we are going to help them in training of their healthcare workers and professionals while necessary medicines and medical supplies are being arranged and supplied by Pakistani pharmaceutical companies”, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr Faisal Sultan told The News after meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) at his office.

Dr Faisal maintained that Health Services Academy (HSA) Islamabad was making arrangements for the training healthcare professionals and workers while College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) were also ready to train Afghan doctors in postgraduate training and education.

Thanking Pakistani drug manufacturers for their support to Afghan brethren, Dr Faisal Sultan maintained that Pakistani pharmaceutical industry has proved that it believes in the welfare and well-being of people of Pakistan as well as neighbouring Afghanistan, who are facing serious of healthcare crisis at the moment. “I hope that Pakistani medicine manufacturers would not only continue to provide quality medicines to people of Pakistan but also increase medicine exports to earn valuable foreign exchange to strengthen the economy”, he added.

Earlier, the PPMA delegation led-by its Chairman Qazi Mansoor Dilawar told SAPM Dr Faisal Sultan that on their appeal, Pakistani medicine companies had contributed medicines worth millions of rupees and still many companies were arranging medicines and medical supplies for the Afghan people.

“Initially, we were hoping to collect medicines and supplies worth Rs100 million but so far we have managed to arrange the supplies worth Rs160 million while many other companies have committed to contribute more in this regard”, Qazi Mansoor Dilawar said and vowed to continue sending medical supplies to Afghanistan.

He said medicines and medical supplies would be dispatched to Afghanistan along with the Afghan health delegation, which is currently visiting Pakistan in the leadership of their Health Minister Dr Qalandar Ibaad.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Asim Rauf as well as heads and managing directors of different Pakistan pharmaceutical companies were also present on the occasion.