ahlam1399
08-06-2016, 05:01 AM
Also sheds light on reform of most corrupt institutions attached to his ministry
Islamabad: Recently, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) increased the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of scheduled ***** by 1.43 per cent, of **n-scheduled ***** by 2.002 per cent, and of lower priced ***** over and above the fixed MRPs by 2.86 per cent. Immediately thereafter, a ticker stating that the Prime Minister was upset with the decision, started flashing on television channels. Under what authority was the price increase given then?
An analysis of the decision provides interesting insights. To begin with, it became apparent that the price increase was **t a discretionary measure. It was given under an explicit policy framework i.e., the Drug Pricing Policy, which was approved by the Eco**mic Coordination Committee in March 2015. The reason for the Prime Minister’s reaction, therefore, could **t be understood.
‘The News’ approached the secretary of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) Ayub Sheikh for his views on the issue. He said, “The prime minister has the prerogative to ask for a report on any issue, at any time.” Referring to the decision, he highlighted that the pharmaceutical industry can**t be isolated because “when the production cost rises but the prices remain low, shortages occur and markets gets infested with substandard ***** that are inimical to health.”
There is a**ther dimension to this story. The current price increase given on scheduled ***** is 1.43 per cent. According to the Drug Pricing Policy, the maximum increase prescribed can be up to 8 per cent only for ‘hardship cases,’ and the price increase can be applied only once in three years. However, what was most shocking was the earlier price increase this year of up to 693 per cent. This increase was given by the Sindh High Court, when drug companies went to the court to demand an increase in prices on the ground of ‘market forces,’ giving the wrong impression of drug prices **t being regulated. Patients ended up paying approximately Rs3 billion as a result of this unjustified price hike. It is precisely the poor and the most disadvantaged who suffered the consequences of such massive price increases.
The federal government and DRAP have contested these cases in the Sindh High Court and the hearings are ongoing. While the judicial system takes its time, commercial entities are extracting their pound of flesh, and the poor are needlessly suffering.
There can be ** disagreement over the need for medicines to be affordable and prices to be kept at a minimum. But then, medicines must also be accessible, efficacious, and of high quality. If the bitter pill of price increase has to be given, it should be given through the correct channel — under a policy umbrella — so that safeguards can also apply. “By increasing drug prices in line with a formula, we are actually lifting the burden being endured by **n-affording patients,” Ayub Sheikh stated.
When courts decide such matters, drug companies inevitably benefit from the situation as they have more resources to hire expensive lawyers, and orchestrate measures in a way that makes it difficult for stay orders to get vacated. In all this delay, commercial entities keep benefiting from the massive price increases and people continue to suffer. Court-driven decision-making also undermines the country’s governance and regulatory systems, which are meant to exercise market oversight.
We have developed a culture of **t trusting our ministries. It has become fashionable to bash the government because that is what makes headlines. Perhaps, it is time to realize that when a government entity takes a needed decision, then ** matter how tough it is, it should be supported by all segments of the society.
The Ministry of NHSRC was established in 2013 after devolution. Its mandates relate to regulation, coordination, and health information, in keeping with the post-devolution spirit. Improvements in several organisations attached with the Ministry of NHSRC are gradually becoming evident. The Ministry inherited a discredited Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and drug regulatory arrangements in disarray. These organizations **w appear to be on the road to recovery.
“The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association itself, which represents the pharmaceutical industry has, in a meeting presided over by the President of Pakistan, stated that DRAP has finally been cleansed of corruption. They have expressed faith in the leadership of DRAP,” Ayub Sheikh shared.
“Registration of ***** is a major process in DRAP. We had a pending list of 3,700 registrations, all of which have been cleared. This means that 3,700 new medicines will **w be manufactured. With an increase in supply, prices will automatically decline due to competition,” the health secretary shared.
The PMDC had become a bastion of corruption, earning the country a bad name. The credibility of the medical profession was also at stake. “There was a time when there were ** rules governing the relationship of the Ministry of Health and PMDC. The Supreme Court described it as a ‘vacuum period,’ with ** leadership,” Ayub Sheikh recollected. “We brought an ordinance and successfully convened fair and **n-controversial elections under the supervision of Justice Tariq Parvaiz (**w a judge of the Supreme Court). The federal government’s **minations of Council members play a crucial role in determining the future direction of the institution. The PM **minated people of impeccable credentials for the Council; they included Dr. Sania Nishtar, Dr. Abid Farooqi, Dr. Amjad Saqib, and Dr. Bari, to name a few. These are big names. We are hoping that PMDC will become a vibrant institution,” he pointed out.
While ** one will be able to vouch that these institutions are 100 per cent effective, but the culture in these organizations has clearly changed. The massively corrupt PMDC of the past was dissolved, and a new council was put in its place. There was an attempt to hire DRAP officials through a competitive process. Other important technical initiatives with potential for impact include the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the Health Information Initiative. But this is, in ** way, an attempt to underestimate the quantum of work that lies ahead. In a federation where trade of services is guaranteed by the Constitution, health regulation has to be a federal mandate. The Ministry of NHRSC, therefore, still has a long road ahead.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/YEor/~4/fSGeY2AqN0M
أكثر... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/YEor/~3/fSGeY2AqN0M/140523-Increase-in-drug-prices-Secretary-health-explains-why-it-was-essential)
Islamabad: Recently, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) increased the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of scheduled ***** by 1.43 per cent, of **n-scheduled ***** by 2.002 per cent, and of lower priced ***** over and above the fixed MRPs by 2.86 per cent. Immediately thereafter, a ticker stating that the Prime Minister was upset with the decision, started flashing on television channels. Under what authority was the price increase given then?
An analysis of the decision provides interesting insights. To begin with, it became apparent that the price increase was **t a discretionary measure. It was given under an explicit policy framework i.e., the Drug Pricing Policy, which was approved by the Eco**mic Coordination Committee in March 2015. The reason for the Prime Minister’s reaction, therefore, could **t be understood.
‘The News’ approached the secretary of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) Ayub Sheikh for his views on the issue. He said, “The prime minister has the prerogative to ask for a report on any issue, at any time.” Referring to the decision, he highlighted that the pharmaceutical industry can**t be isolated because “when the production cost rises but the prices remain low, shortages occur and markets gets infested with substandard ***** that are inimical to health.”
There is a**ther dimension to this story. The current price increase given on scheduled ***** is 1.43 per cent. According to the Drug Pricing Policy, the maximum increase prescribed can be up to 8 per cent only for ‘hardship cases,’ and the price increase can be applied only once in three years. However, what was most shocking was the earlier price increase this year of up to 693 per cent. This increase was given by the Sindh High Court, when drug companies went to the court to demand an increase in prices on the ground of ‘market forces,’ giving the wrong impression of drug prices **t being regulated. Patients ended up paying approximately Rs3 billion as a result of this unjustified price hike. It is precisely the poor and the most disadvantaged who suffered the consequences of such massive price increases.
The federal government and DRAP have contested these cases in the Sindh High Court and the hearings are ongoing. While the judicial system takes its time, commercial entities are extracting their pound of flesh, and the poor are needlessly suffering.
There can be ** disagreement over the need for medicines to be affordable and prices to be kept at a minimum. But then, medicines must also be accessible, efficacious, and of high quality. If the bitter pill of price increase has to be given, it should be given through the correct channel — under a policy umbrella — so that safeguards can also apply. “By increasing drug prices in line with a formula, we are actually lifting the burden being endured by **n-affording patients,” Ayub Sheikh stated.
When courts decide such matters, drug companies inevitably benefit from the situation as they have more resources to hire expensive lawyers, and orchestrate measures in a way that makes it difficult for stay orders to get vacated. In all this delay, commercial entities keep benefiting from the massive price increases and people continue to suffer. Court-driven decision-making also undermines the country’s governance and regulatory systems, which are meant to exercise market oversight.
We have developed a culture of **t trusting our ministries. It has become fashionable to bash the government because that is what makes headlines. Perhaps, it is time to realize that when a government entity takes a needed decision, then ** matter how tough it is, it should be supported by all segments of the society.
The Ministry of NHSRC was established in 2013 after devolution. Its mandates relate to regulation, coordination, and health information, in keeping with the post-devolution spirit. Improvements in several organisations attached with the Ministry of NHSRC are gradually becoming evident. The Ministry inherited a discredited Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and drug regulatory arrangements in disarray. These organizations **w appear to be on the road to recovery.
“The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association itself, which represents the pharmaceutical industry has, in a meeting presided over by the President of Pakistan, stated that DRAP has finally been cleansed of corruption. They have expressed faith in the leadership of DRAP,” Ayub Sheikh shared.
“Registration of ***** is a major process in DRAP. We had a pending list of 3,700 registrations, all of which have been cleared. This means that 3,700 new medicines will **w be manufactured. With an increase in supply, prices will automatically decline due to competition,” the health secretary shared.
The PMDC had become a bastion of corruption, earning the country a bad name. The credibility of the medical profession was also at stake. “There was a time when there were ** rules governing the relationship of the Ministry of Health and PMDC. The Supreme Court described it as a ‘vacuum period,’ with ** leadership,” Ayub Sheikh recollected. “We brought an ordinance and successfully convened fair and **n-controversial elections under the supervision of Justice Tariq Parvaiz (**w a judge of the Supreme Court). The federal government’s **minations of Council members play a crucial role in determining the future direction of the institution. The PM **minated people of impeccable credentials for the Council; they included Dr. Sania Nishtar, Dr. Abid Farooqi, Dr. Amjad Saqib, and Dr. Bari, to name a few. These are big names. We are hoping that PMDC will become a vibrant institution,” he pointed out.
While ** one will be able to vouch that these institutions are 100 per cent effective, but the culture in these organizations has clearly changed. The massively corrupt PMDC of the past was dissolved, and a new council was put in its place. There was an attempt to hire DRAP officials through a competitive process. Other important technical initiatives with potential for impact include the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the Health Information Initiative. But this is, in ** way, an attempt to underestimate the quantum of work that lies ahead. In a federation where trade of services is guaranteed by the Constitution, health regulation has to be a federal mandate. The Ministry of NHRSC, therefore, still has a long road ahead.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/YEor/~4/fSGeY2AqN0M
أكثر... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/YEor/~3/fSGeY2AqN0M/140523-Increase-in-drug-prices-Secretary-health-explains-why-it-was-essential)