ISLAMABAD: The health ministry has decided to spend Rs330 million to ensure the sale of quality drugs in the federal capital under a new project that will be completed in two years.

Prime Minister’s National Coordinator for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar said that the project titled “Drug Control Administration” will be completed in two years. Under the project, the number of drug inspectors will be doubled from three to six, and medicines provided to the private sector and public sector hospitals will be tested regularly.

“The goal of the project is to ensure the sale of quality products in the federal capital… to ensure early recovery of patients…,” Dr Mukhtar said, adding that the Raman Spectrophotometer Mobile Drug Testing Equipment will be purchased to detect the quality of medicines in seconds to ensure on-the-spot action against the sellers. The equipment will allow the drug inspectors to check the quality of medicines at medical stores instantly as well as medicines that are provided at the public sector hospitals.

There is an impression that the pharma companies provide substandard medicines to the public sector hospitals and no one takes notice of those purported substandard medicines because they are given to the poor patients free of cost.

According to Dr Mukhtar, the number of drug inspectors will be doubled from three to six in the federal capital. He said there were around 1500 medical stores in the city, adding that at least five vehicles would be provided for the field monitoring and to improve logistics.

He also said a pharmacovigilance centre was being established in the federal capital to ensure the quality of drugs, adding that the number of deaths was increasing across the globe due to adverse effects of medicines.

It is worth mentioning that pharmacovigilance is related to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine or vaccines. All medicines and vaccines undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy through clinical trials before they are authorised for use.

Health ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah said that the pharmacovigilance department would collect data regarding the adverse effects of medicines from hospitals and other health facilities. “As per the vision of Dr Mukhtar, a number of reforms are being introduced in the health sector. It will be ensured that the project will be completed within two years,” he said. Mr Shah hoped that the best possible treatment and medicines would be provided to patients because of the interventions by the health ministry and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2024