Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman said the newly-elected government should focus on deregulating the pharmaceutical sector and controlling medicine prices.
The governor emphasised that the new government should follow the caretaker government’s initiative to deregulate medicine prices without pressuring pharmaceutical companies to exit the industry. He also stressed that regulations should prevent companies from exploiting the public.
Earlier on Wednesday, the caretaker government issued a notification to fix 146 life-saving medicines’ prices, and granted the pharmaceutical companies authority to raise the prices of 116 medicines, prompting a filing of petition against the notification.
The governor recalled the period from 2013-18 during the PML-N government, when the prime minister rejected proposals to raise medicine prices. He affirmed a commitment to constitutional work, emphasizing continued efforts in subsequent administrations. He commended ongoing efforts to produce raw materials in Pakistan, setting benchmarks for technology and exports in the pharmaceutical sector. He said he would convene the Punjab Assembly session upon receiving a requisition in the next few days to form a new government.
The governor shared these remarks while inaugurating the two-day 16th Pak Pharma and Healthcare Expo and Conference at Lahore’s Expo Centre. The expo, featuring over 400 stalls and 100 foreign and local exhibitors, was organised in collaboration with Prime Event Management and the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA).
PPMA Chairman Mian Misbahur Rehman said the government bodies were responsible for fixing prices of 450 medicines not included in the World Health Organization (WHO) essential drugs list.
He highlighted the government’s permission for pharmaceutical companies to set prices for all drugs except life-saving ones, comparing it to the Indian government which regulated only 360 medicines. Organiser Kamran Abbasi, speaking to the media, emphasised that the exhibition focused exclusively on pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers, laboratory equipment, research and testing laboratories, including Ultra Sound, X-Ray, MRI Machines, cardiac monitors.
