Capital’s Public Hospitals Bear Liabilities Of Rs12 B Impacting Quality Of Health Facilities: Dr Nadeem Jan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Jan, 2024) Caretaker Minister for National Health Services, Dr Nadeem Jan on Friday told the Upper House of the Parliament that there was no severe shortage of medicines in the public hospitals of the Federal capital, however, due to their liabilities of Rs12 billion a decline in healthcare facilities and quality of services was witnessed.

The minister was responding to the queries of the Senators during the question hour session at the commencement of the 334th Session of the Senate chaired by Chairman Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani.

Earlier, the Chairman Senate at the commencement of the proceedings, extended his regards and greetings on Jumma to the members.

Upon the request of Senator Sadia Abbasi, the Chairman Senate urged the House to hold fateha (prayer) on the demise of the late former senator, finance minister and national security advisor Sartaj Aziz who had passed away on January 2, 2024 at the age of 94.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed on his directive led the prayer and urged the members to also recite fateha for the six labourers killed by the terrorists in North Waziristan.

Senator Sadia Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while paying tribute to the former Senator Sartaj Aziz said he was a towering personality of the country who served for many international organizations, remained general secretary of Muslim League, remained senator, and finance minister.

He had rendered great services in education sector and promoted Beaconhouse school System which was acknowledged by the latter. He wrote many books on the politics, and economics of Pakistan and was an expert in agriculture.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) said the caretaker government had denied an increase in the prices of medicines which was regrettable as only 300% increase alone in anti-epileptic drug was noticed.

Responding to the Senator’s query, Caretaker Health Minister Nadeem Jan said there was no increase in medicines during the interim government’s tenure. He said the policy on this matter was formed in 2018 that stated that pharmaceutical companies under CPI can raise 7 percent increase on essential and 10 percent on non-essential medicines. However, in 2022 the policy was reviewed and it was recommended that 20 percent non-essential and 14 percent on essential can be increased by the pharma companies under CPI, he added.

“The increase in prices of medicines has been according to that policy and if there has been any increase made on other than the mentioned category medicines then the Ministry will take disciplinary action against those elements,” the minister said.

He added that the Ministry was pushed to increase prices of 262 medicines as hardship drugs and it realized the purchasing power capacity of the masses was low and it resisted the motion.

The DRAP, he said had briefed that the pharma companies were producing certain medicines at losses and the Ministry had directed to hold a dialogue and forensic analysis to keep the medicine supply and quality intact.

“The Ministry of Health have launched a 24/7 medicine shortage reporting app, where any citizen can report through his or her mobile phone. We have been monitoring and so far 77 people have reported on it against price hike of medicines and proper action has taken,” he added.

Moreover, he said a round the clock mobile and email services were also at the Ministry and it was also regularly monitoring the market to check the prices.

Responding to queries of Senator Bahramand Tangi, Kamran Murtaza and Mushtaq Ahmed, he said the reason for shortage of medicines or services in public hospital was due to Rs12 billion liabilities in lieu off medicines, utility bills, equipment and others.

However, without technical grant, he said the Ministry through additional funds managed funding from other fiscal quarters of the division to ensure supply of medicine to the public hospitals and there was no severe shortage of medicine but rather it was limited.

He rejected the Senator Tangi’s question pertaining to donor funding and said that the WHO and UNICEF never give funding but rather provide in kind support to the Ministry as they make their procurements on their own.

“Their support is through investments in cancer treatment from their own system including $550 million for cancer and $777 million in TB, and it has relationship with floods as they have also given in kind support in the form of kits, medicines, equipment etc., as well,” he said.

Nadeem Jan informed that no case was reported of new variant of COVID so far and the authorities concerned were on red alert.

“Points of entry have been strengthened and mandated with an out of the way effort to random check new variant prevalence. The Lab system across the country is active. The Ministry have done training in all provinces and experts trained in 150 districts with disease spread and response,” he said.