NA body concerned over use of spurious drugs at PIC
02 February, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday expressed its concern over use of seven substandard medicines at Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and dubbed the incident as shameful and a national crime.
The committee me the Parliament House and was presided over by MNA Riaz Fatyana, the chairman of the committee.
It expressed concern that the government had failed to provide health facilities due to inadequate health policy, adding that the programmes to eradicate polio, TB, malaria, HIV and hepatitis had failed. MNA Shakeela Khanam Rasheed expressed concern that the Punjab government had not yet appointed a health minister, which was a serious negligence on the part of the authorities concerned.
The committee was informed that the Drug Regulatory Administration was currently under the Cabinet Division, and it was not functional after the 18th Amendment. Cabinet Division Joint Secretary Suhail Sabtin informed the committee that after the devolution process, some parts of regulatory responsibility is with the federation and some is with provinces. At the time of devolution, the provinces asked the federation to keep the old system of regulation and registration. Currently, the affairs were being run through interim arrangement. If the provinces allowed the federation, new legislation about formation of Drug Regulatory Authority would be done, he maintained.
Over another agenda item, the committee was informed that under international laws, the packaging weight for all commodities was 25 kilogrammes, whereas in Pakistan, the packaging weight was 100-120 kilogrammes. The committee recommended to the Ministry of Human Rights to examine the Convention 127 and prepare a model law for enforcement in the provinces and federation. The chairman recommended that the weight limit should be minimised and should not be in conflict with the international laws.
A sub-committee under the chair of MNA Yasmeen Rehman was constituted. The sub-committee was tasked to resolve the distribution of health issues among the federation and provinces. Dr Attiya Inayatullah, Nisar Tanveer, Dr Mehreen Razzaque Bhutto and Shakeela Khanam Rasheed will be members of the committee.
The committee condemned the threat calls to Ahmadis in Rawalpindi. It also took serious notice of the killing of Shia Muslims in Karachi. The committee expressed concern over target killing on the bases of ethnicity and sectarianism, which it called a planned conspiracy to destroy peace and economic stability of Karachi.
It was recommended to provide full protection to all residents of Karachi, including Shias and minorities. During the meeting, Samina Mushtaq Pugganwala, Shakeela Khanam Rasheed, Raheela Baloch, Mehreen Razzaque Bhutto, Nisar Tanveer, Araish Kumar, Kishwar Zehra, Yasmeen Rehman, Jamila Gillani, Attiya Inayatullah, Mumtaz Alam Gillani, Sabeen Rizvi, Shagufta Jumani were also present.
FIA seals pharmaceutical company
In an aftermath of 172 deaths of ailing people in Lahore, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday raided a pharmaceutical company and recovered 49 kilograms raw material, putting the company owners' names into the Exit Control List (ECL).
Talking to our sources, FIA Sindh Director General Moazzam Jan said that the FIA team, along with Drug Inspectors of Sindh Health Department, raided Efroze Pharmaceuticals at Korangi Industrial Area and seized samples of its raw material.
He said the action was taken in view of a laboratory report that revealed extensive use of anti-malaria substance in the drug samples collected from Efroze Pharmaceuticals on January 26. Jan said that the raid was conducted on the directives of federal government however no arrest was made.
He further added that the pharmaceutical company is owned jointly by Nadir Feroz, Abdullah Feroz, Khurram Munaf, Sultan and Shafiq. "The FIA would not register a case in Karachi since one had already been registered by Punjab authorities", he added.
Products samples of various medicines including a drug called 'Isotab' were impounded while company was sealed till further orders and completion of inquiry.
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