Surgical intervention for relief

THERE is little hope that chasing and knocking down businesses found violating the drug pricing policy alone will ameliorate the pain of wounds inflicted on financially distressed Pakistanis by the mismanagement of the health sector. It will take nothing less than a major surgery to fix the problem of drug availability and accessibility in the country. The good news is that after decades of neglect the current government has shown some interest in making necessary corrections in the framework. It seems to want to provide the private sector with a business-friendly environment without compromising on the citizens’ right to affordable health care. There is a realisation that as long as Pakistan continues to be a net importer of chemicals used as raw material by the pharmaceutical sector, and lacks the infrastructure to enforce standards, the foundation of the health sector will continue to be rickety and unstable. An exposure to exchange rate risks makes erratic price movements sometimes unavoidable.