Karachi faces dire shortage of life-saving drugs

KARACHI: The scarcity of essential life-saving medicines, including antibiotics crucial for cancer, heart diseases, and various other ailments, has reached a critical point in Karachi.

The unavailability of these vital medications in medical stores is exacerbating the already dire situation for patients. Health experts attribute the crisis to a lack of practical measures taken by concerned departments.

Mian Khalid Misbah ur Rahman, Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), provided a comprehensive overview of the current situation and proposed potential solutions.

He said that, as per the law, when the cost of a drug surpasses its price, the government should reset the price at the official level. Over the past two years, a list of 262 drugs was submitted to the government for review, but no decision has been made to date, he deplored.

Misbah-ur-Rehman said that the scarcity of local medicines has led to an increase in the use of fake and smuggled drugs. Currently, over 100 essential medicines are unavailable in the market. He warned that if the government does not act promptly, life-saving medicines could vanish, further aggravating the healthcare crisis.