Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the establishment of an international-level drug testing laboratory in Islamabad to ensure global standards for medicines in the country.

He gave these directions, while chairing a meeting on health and pharmaceutical sector reforms in Islamabad on Thursday.

The Prime Minister also instructed to launch mobile hospitals to deliver healthcare facilities in the outskirts of Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and Balochistan.

He advised an operation against the spurious medicines in the country in consultation with the provincial governments. He emphasized that fraudsters cannot be allowed to play with human lives.

Shehbaz Sharif said that a comprehensive plan should be developed and presented to improve the pharmaceutical sector and regulations in cooperation with provincial governments. He said officers facilitating counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical sector within DRAP should be identified, and immediate action should be ensured against them.

The Prime Minister further advised to ensure an increase in medicine exports through research in the pharmaceutical sector. He instructed to expedite the implementation on reforms programme in the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

The Prime Minister instructed to expedite the implementation of the reform program in the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

He directed to ensure the appointment of reputed and experienced experts in the relevant fields on merit in the DRAP Policy Board. He further instructed to take priority measures to strengthen and make the Drug Pricing Committee effective.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister was apprised of the progress about the ongoing reforms in the health and pharmaceutical sector.

It was informed that the registration system for medicines manufactured in the country under a digital system is in the final stages of implementation. Furthermore, consultations on the National Medicines Policy are continuing, which will soon be presented for approval.

The meeting was informed about the appointment of 94 new drug inspectors and the performance review of the existing 25 drug inspectors. The Prime Minister instructed to ensure transparency in the appointment process of new drug inspectors.

The meeting was told that volume of Pakistan's current medicine exports is five hundred million dollars, while the Ministry of Health is taking steps, including the provision of research facilities, to increase exports. The establishment of an Export Directorate in DRAP to increase domestic medicine exports is also in the final stages.

The Prime Minister was also briefed on the steps being taken by the Ministry of Health to enhance the capacity of the sector and align it with international standards to further promote the export of surgical instruments.