State Health Minister inspects Getz pharma

KARACHI: The State Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC), Dr Zafar Ullah Mirza, recently visited Getz, the only pharmaceutical company in Pakistan, whose manufacturing facility has recently been prequalified and accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva. Getz Pharma is also the largest exporter of medicines from Pakistan and has been awarded the Prime Minister’s highest export trophy in the Pharmaceuticals category for 14 consecutive years.

During the nearly three hours visit, the Minister toured and reviewed Getz Pharma's Manufacturing/Production Facility, Quality Control Laboratories, Stability Area, and Technical/ Utility Areas. He examined the company's Quality Management Systems critically. Dr Zafar Mirza has a rich experience with working at WHO for over fifteen years. The Minister appreciated the high standards of production and quality assurance of the company and congratulated the management for obtaining both the WHO prequalification as well as the Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme - PIC/S accreditation and putting Pakistan on the map of the select few countries whose facilities and products are prequalified by the WHO.

After the visit, the State Minister discussed with the management on how to improve the availability of the essential medicines in Pakistan in general and the local production for the treatment of HIV. The CEO of Getz Pharma, Khalid Mahmood, assured the Minister that Getz Pharma would help address the problems of shortages of essential medicines, especially the medication for the treatment of HIV.

The Minister discussed the issues facing the pharmaceutical sector and brainstormed ideas to boost exports of medicines. He reiterated that the government and his ministry, under the guidance and instructions of the Prime Minister, is keen to transform the health and pharmaceutical sector and increase the exports of medicines from Pakistan. The Minister also urged the Pharmaceutical companies to increase their exports. The company's management shared their plans to expand the company's exports in the next few years.