THE Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has strongly criticized the Government for allowing an increase in the prices of 94 life-saving drugs. In a statement, it pointed out that the decision would only add to the miseries of the general public, which is already struggling to cope with the impact of Covid-19, unemployment and ever-rising prices of fuel and daily commodities.
There is no doubt that the pharmaceutical industry has suffered because of steep fall in the value of rupee and frequent upward revision in the prices of POL products and electricity and gas tariff. But it is also a universal truth that prices of medicines in Pakistan are on the higher side as compared to other regional countries because of some loathsome practices that continue to-date despite slogans of transparency and merit. The prices of medicines have enormously increased during tenure of the present Government putting additional burden on the common man. Last year, the Government allowed the pharmaceutical companies to increase the prices of 45,000 medicines up to 15 percent, whereas the prices of 463 hardship medicines were increased up to 200 percent — the highest increase in the last 40 years. Only last month, the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination allowed pharmaceutical companies to increase price of essential drugs by seven per cent and non-essential drugs by ten per cent in accordance with annual consumer price index (CPI) but credit goes to the companies, which decided not to increase the prices during the first quarter of the new financial year in view of the situation arising out of Covid-19. We support demand of the PIMA that problems faced by pharmaceuticals should be resolved by easing taxes and subsidizing the manufacturing and import of medicines, rather than increasing the prices. What a pity that we have goals of making Pakistan a welfare state but are not ready even to provide life-saving drugs to people at affordable rates.
