ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel has vowed to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medicines, Pakistani state media reported on Friday, as the South Asian country experiences supply chain disruptions amid a shortage of dollar.
The statement came after the government met a major demand of pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan by increasing the rates of essential lifesaving drugs to ensure their availability in the market.
Pakistan has been facing an acute shortage of medicines for about a year as their manufacturers decided to stop their production due to the rising cost of raw materials in the international market, which was further exacerbated by the dollar crunch.
The South Asian country has banned the import of goods, including industrial raw materials, to stop dollar outflows as it forex reserves have dropped below $3 billion and is struggling to quell default fears in domestic and international markets.
“In this regard all necessary arrangements had been made and strategy had been chalked out for the availability of medicines,” Patel was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency.
“The government was well aware of the problems of the citizens and taking sincere steps to give maximum relief to them.”
Pakistan imports an estimated 95 percent of its pharmaceutical raw materials from China. The country’s direct trade with India has remained suspended since August 5, 2019, when the administration in New Delhi revoked the special constitutional status of the disputed Kashmir region.
However, Islamabad is still importing pharmaceutical raw material from the neighboring state via Dubai.
Patel said a meeting was recently held in Karachi between the health ministry officials and representatives of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA).
“The objective of the meeting was to make sure that all medicines are available in the market,” he added.
