Pharmaceutical industry is looting public:PEW

Lahore: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Monday said objectionable practices of the pharmaceutical industry have been hindering its own growth while resulting in lost opportunities.

There is a wide scope of expansion of the pharma industry but its focus on maximising profits through unprincipled commercial practices has restrained its development, it said.

The pharma industry knows how to keep the authorities happy and how to win the cooperation of the doctors which has resulted in immense public distrust, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.

He said that pharma is one the most profit generating sectors in Pakistan yet they want an increase in prices of over 99 per cent medicine to boost their profits and give more kickbacks to officials as well as medical practitioners.

The situation has gone to an extent that many doctors and specialists with good repute would prefer prescribing low quality medicine to patients to ensure underhand benefits from manufacturers, said Dr Murtaza Mughal.

Several doctors get free foreign tours, expensive gifts like costly mobiles, power generators, cars, laptops, computers, replacement of furniture etc. from pharmaceuticals in return of exploiting the poor and unsuspecting masses, he noted.

He said that misleading diagnosis, unnecessary tests and surgeries, useless medicines, prolonging hospitalization, etc. have become part of the prevailing atmosphere in medical the profession.

Similarly, many public sector hospitals would buy substandard drugs and sell a good portion of it to the supplier silently for petty benefits.

Calling for stricter ethical guidelines in medical profession it said that it is the responsibility of the government to protect the masses from abuse and restore the faith of the people in the shameful profession.