ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation from the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), led by its chairman, met with Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, to discuss strengthening collaboration between the government and the national pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, the meeting focused on enhancing mutual cooperation and addressing the challenges faced by the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. The delegation briefed the Minister on the sector\u2019s performance and notable progress in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since July 2024, Pakistan has witnessed a 52% increase in pharmaceutical exports, as highlighted in the briefing. The delegation credited this growth to the government\u2019s deregulatory policies, which have stabilized the industry and helped eliminate drug shortages in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The delegation further noted that 90% of the medicines available in the local market are manufactured domestically, and many of these products meet the standards for export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal shared his vision for improving the healthcare system in Pakistan. He acknowledged the limitations of the current infrastructure, stating, \u201cThere will never be a day when the state alone can provide health facilities to every patient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pointed out that due to the absence of functioning primary healthcare centers and referral systems, tertiary hospitals are facing overwhelming patient loads. \u201cSeventy percent of patients who should be going to Basic Health Units (BHUs) end up at major hospitals,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kamal emphasized that the key to resolving these challenges lies in telemedicine. \u201cOver 80% of our population is already using technology. Through telemedicine, we can reduce the burden on hospitals and are working on a comprehensive strategy to implement this,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He called upon the pharmaceutical industry to play a vital role in the promotion of telemedicine and offered full government support in this area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highlighting the integration of technology into health systems, the Minister announced a significant reform: \u201cWith NADRA’s support, the national ID number will now serve as a patient’s Medical Record (MR) number.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mustafa Kamal further shared an ambitious future plan: \u201cSoon, we will be delivering doctors and medicines right to people\u2019s doorsteps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He acknowledged the shortcomings in Pakistan\u2019s healthcare system but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to leveraging technology for improved and accessible healthcare services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister also stressed the government’s determination\u2014both at federal and provincial levels\u2014to eliminate counterfeit and substandard medicines. He advocated for the implementation of QR codes to ensure the availability of safe, effective, high-quality, and affordable medicines to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFake medicines tarnish the reputation of our country and our companies,\u201d Mustafa Kamal said, urging pharmaceutical companies to take strict measures in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese positions are a trust from God, and we are all accountable,\u201d the Minister remarked emotionally. \u201cPeople come to us in pain, and this Ministry is not a bed of roses for me\u2014it is a test, and I am committed to passing it with integrity and responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation from the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), led by its chairman, met with Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, to discuss strengthening collaboration between the government and the national pharmaceutical industry. According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, the meeting focused on enhancing mutual cooperation and addressing the challenges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3837,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835\/revisions\/3837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailytimes.net.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}