Increase in prices of 94 drugs notified as per cabinet decision

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has issued a notification about the increase in the prices of 94 medicines which was earlier approved by the federal cabinet, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.

However, the notification mentioned two conditions on the subject: the increased prices would remain in effect till June 30, 2021 and the manufacturers have to print the MRP [maximum retail price] on the label under Drug Labelling and Packing Rules 1986.

It was the federal cabinet that had approved the move on Sept 22, as the DRAP says these 94 medicines are related to high blood pressure, cancer, heart ailments and anti-rabies vaccine.

At the time of taking this decision, the government approved the summary sent by the DRAP and health ministry citing the excuse of an increase in the dollar value and the resultant effects on the imported raw material. 

But the government easily forgets the fact that they had first allowed devaluation which triggered this unstoppable tsunami of inflation.  

Although frozen till June 30 next year, the latest increase in drugs’ prices comes as series of similar moves which is hitting the people hard amid the alarming inflation in the country. 

The opposition is very critical of the government over this trend. In this connection, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday questioned who was running the country as the only thing the government members had been doing was holding press conferences and issuing statements.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the PPP leader wondered how the much-hyped Tiger Force will control price hike. What mandate the Tiger Force had to threaten the traders, she questioned.

Blasting the “Kashmir selling government” over its inability to tackle inflation, Sherry said nothing had been done to overcome the flour and sugar shortage. Another flour crisis would hit the country in December, she warned.

Talking about the inflation rate, the PPP leader said all the governments in the past had entered into deals with the IMF but did so while keeping the interests of the people and the country in mind. 

She said the incompetent government wasn’t able to deal with the IMF, adding that the only thing given by the Tabahi Sarkar was destruction.   

Pointing to the poor economic management, she said circular debt had smashed all previous records while the country was also facing gas shortage which in turn also adversely affected power generation. 

Similarly, PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said a selected person in Islamabad had pushed the country on a path leading to destruction.

The key for driving the country had been handed over to a person who didn’t ever run a union council, Ahsan remarked, adding, “The incompetent driver is hell-bent to cause an accident of 220 million people.

Ahsan, who was addressing the local bar in Nawabshah, warned that Pakistan would be flooded by the jobless youth in the future.