The federal cabinet on Tuesday decided to reduce prices of 89 drugs by 15 percent with immediate effect to provide relief to the people Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Dr Firdous also said the cabinet unanimously rejected the request of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz to remove her name from the ECL.
She said 24 cases pertaining to including and removing names of various people from ECL were presented before the cabinet by the Interior Ministry. It was decided to place four names on the ECL, remove eight names from it, while a decision on other cases was deferred. She said there should be one and uniform law in Pakistan without any special treatment for anyone.
"The cabinet showed consensus on the implementation of one and uniform law throughout Pakistan and endorsed the recommendations of the cabinet sub-committee on ECL, which had opposed the request to strike Maryam's name off the ECL," she said.
Answering a question, the government spokesperson said the cabinet had decided to remove the name of Nawaz Sharif from the ECL after "clear instructions" were given by a high court.
"The court had recommended the cabinet to remove Nawaz Sharif's name from the ECL and court orders were honored," she said while adding that in Maryam's case the recommendation of the sub-committee was endorsed.
Special Assistant on Health Zafar Mirza, who was also present at the press conference, said the federal cabinet has decided to reduce prices of 89 medicines, including life-saving drugs, by 15 percent with immediate effect to provide relief to people.
The prices have been decreased under the Medicine Pricing Policy 2018, he said while adding that the Prime Minister has directed to review drug policy within two months.
He said the National Medicine Policy is being prepared under which pharmaceutical sector will be regularized.
According to Dr Mirza, a comprehensive National Medicine Policy will be announced in coming weeks to reform the pharmaceutical sector in the country.
Dr Firdous also informed the media that that the cabinet has approved a special financial package to facilitate people living along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu & Kashmir. She said 33,498 families are direct victims of Indian firing along LOC and each of them would get Rs 5,000 on quarterly basis under this package.
She said the cabinet approved one-time import of polio finger marker from India on the recommendations of the World Health Organisation.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has also directed chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) to take immediate steps to remove garbage and waste from Islamabad.
She said reforms in tax laws are also approved by the cabinet and the Prime Minister directed Federal Board of Revenue to prepare a public-friendly mechanism to facilitate common people.
She said the cabinet also approved Local Government Commission for Islamabad and appointed MNA Ali Awan and Ali Bukhari as its members. Bukhari has been appointed on the seat reserved for technocrats.
The cabinet also gave green signal to the appointment of a senior member of the Federal Land Commission, and the appointments of the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the First Women Bank and the EXIM Bank of Pakistan.
The cabinet also discussed and gave its go-ahead to the Executive Committee of the Pakistan Sports Board, to restructure the board and amend the law concerning it.
The approval of the appointment of chairpersons and members of the National Commission for Human Rights has also been granted, she said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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