Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan) has once again called on the federal government to implement a generic medicine policy aimed at providing affordable and equitable access to essential medicines across the country.

In a formal letter addressed to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, TI Pakistan stressed the immediate need for prescribing medicines by generic names and adopting least-cost procurement methods for registered drugs. This move, they argue, could significantly reduce healthcare expenses for both citizens and the national exchequer.

TI Pakistan referred to previous communications with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and the Prime Minister’s Office in 2021, expressing concern over the non-implementation of DRAP’s April 2021 advisory. The advisory had directed public and private healthcare professionals to prescribe medicines by their generic names to lower treatment costs.

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Citing the DRAP Act, 2012, TI Pakistan pointed out that all approved drugs are quality-assured and priced by DRAP, making expensive branded drugs unnecessary. They supported this claim by presenting a comparative table of Aspirin 300mg, which showed prices ranging from Rs. 80 to Rs. 150 for the same drug.

The organization emphasized that adopting a generic medicine policy could save billions of rupees annually, and called on the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSRC) to enforce this policy nationwide. It also recommended the establishment of robust compliance mechanisms to ensure uniform implementation.

TI Pakistan reiterated its stance that the policy is essential to achieving affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare for all Pakistanis.