KARACHI:Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has said that pharma industry of the country has great potential for growth and the international market due to the quality of the medicines from Pakistan.
This he said while talking with a 10-member of delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) at Governor House here today which was led by renowned industrialist Zahid Saeed.
Other members of the delegation included Qasir Waheed, Tauqeer ul Haq, Dr Mehwish Khan, Najeebur Rehman, Saboor Ahmed, Asad ullah, Jalal Uddin Zafar, Naveed Hakim and Taimur Ahmed.
The matters regarding export of medicines from Pakistan, bottlenecks and need of a viable strategy in this connection were discussed at length during the meeting. On pointation of need of activation of pharma export council, which was notified a year ago, Governor Sindh assured that he would take up the matter with concerned authorities to facilitate pharma exporters.
He asked PPMA to take measures for production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) locally so as to ensure availability of raw materials required for preparation of medicines on affordable prices.
This would not only decrease cost of manufacturing of drugs but also ensure availability of the same on cheaper rates to patients, he observed. He further asked PPMA to prepare detailed recommendations in this regard to take state bank of Pakistan and other banks on board for initiating this project.
He assured that he would also contact concerned quarters for effective utilization of Central Research Fund (CDF) collected from pharma industry.
He said that pharma industry could play of vital role in strengthening country’s economy as its exports would bring valuable foreign exchange to national exchequer. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Faisal Sultan would be invited to Karachi for meeting with PPMA members for solution of their problems, he added.
Delegation members Zahid Saeed and Qasir Waheed thanked Governor Sindh for his keen interest in pharma industry and his pledge to resolve industry’s problems. They also thanked for his support in bringing the problems of pharma fraternity to the knowledge of Prime Minister.
Due to his personal interest the pharma industry was able to survive during COVID-19 pandemic and was not affected as compared with other sectors of the economy, they added.