LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir has revealed that the World Health Organization (WHO) has pre-qualified two more drug testing laboratories being run by the Punjab government, raising the number of such scientific research facilities to five in the province.
The minister was chairing a meeting of the Provincial Quality Control Board, here on Monday to review the cases of new medicine being manufactured in Punjab. Dr Jamal Nasir told that as a result of this certification, Pakistan now ranked highest in the world with regard to the number drug testing laboratories pre-qualified by WHO in a country. The world body has certified that these laboratories in Punjab were “operating with WHO good practices for pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratories guidelines,” he added.
The minister observed that certification of government drug testing laboratories in Punjab was the evidence of confidence which the WHO has reposed in these laboratories. It was also a matter of honour for the entire nation, he added.
The minister told that the newly pre-qualified laboratories were situated at Bird wood Road Lahore and in Multan. The drug testing laboratories situated at Sundar Industrial Estate, Lahore, in Rawalpindi and in Faisalabad had already been pre-qualified by the WHO.
A delegation of the WHO will carry out final inspection of the drug testing laboratory at Bahawalpur as well in near future for the same purpose, he informed. The minister said that the WHO certified laboratories prevent supply of substandard and unsafe medicine to the people of the province.
Dr Jamal Nasir directed that the pharmaceutical companies operating in Punjab should strictly adhere to international standards for manufacturing medicines. He said that the sole purpose of medicines was to save the lives of patients. No one can be allowed to play with human lives by manufacturing spurious or substandard medicine, he warned.
He said that there was zero tolerance for companies that did not manufacture standard medicines. The minister observed that the Provincial Quality Control Board was playing a key role to ensure the supply of quality medicines in Punjab.
He said that all cases were being examined purely on merit. The availability of quality medicines was the fundamental right of the people of Punjab and we were doing our best for ensuring supply of quality medicine, he maintained.
Special Secretary Health Muhammad Iqbal, Director General Drugs Control Muhammad Sohail and Director General Health Services Dr Ilyas Gondal, pharmaceutical experts and related officers attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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