Medicines’ prices surged due to variation in rates of dollar: Yasmin Rashid
LAHORE (92 News) – Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Thursday that the prices of medicines surged after variation in rates of US dollar.
In his statement, commenting over hike in medicines’ prices, the minister said that pharmaceutical companies took the step after variation in rates of US dollar and devaluation of Pakistani currency.
Free medicines cannot be provided all patients
Dr Yasmin Rashid excused provision of free drugs to all patients and said that the facility would be provided to the persons receiving treatment at emergency centres and hospitals. She clarified that the facility could not be extended to all patients of Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) if the provincial government spends its overall budget on free medicines. The health minister said that the government has a responsibility to provide free medicines to the patients under treatment in state-owned hospitals. She also added that patients admitted in the labour room and emergency centres would be given the facility.Surge in medicines prices for treatment of deadly diseases
A say earlier, pharmaceutical companies have increased 45 per cent prices of various medicines including the life-savings drugs.
The incumbent government, which claims to have betterment for the poor, even snatched the poor’s rights for treatment of their disease.
Following devaluation of the local currency and stringent Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) regulations, the medicines for the treatment of potentially deadly diseases have also been surged by Rs399.
It was reported that the price hike would impact the rate of many medicines, including the life-savings drugs such as medicines for heart ailments, brain diseases, cancer, children’s diseases and post-surgical drugs etc.
It also said that the price of Triforge, a medicine for heart ailment, has been increased from Rs186 to Rs485, and the price of a medicine for controlling blood sugar has been increased from the previous Rs272 to Rs460.
Meanwhile, the price of Erythrosine, a medicine for the treatment of throat-related diseases, has been increased from Rs548 to Rs921.
Moreover, the price of Concor, a medicine for the treatment of blood pressure, has been raised from Rs162 to Rs235. The cost of Disprin has been increased by Rs27.
