{"id":10347,"date":"2025-12-30T08:14:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T08:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alacpakistan.com\/event2024\/?page_id=10347"},"modified":"2025-12-30T08:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T08:28:15","slug":"high-level-forum-on-good-governance-and-ethical-practices-in-the-medical-and-pharmaceutical-sector-in-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/alacpakistan.com\/event2024\/high-level-forum-on-good-governance-and-ethical-practices-in-the-medical-and-pharmaceutical-sector-in-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"High Level Forum on Good Governance and Ethical Practices in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sector in Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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High Level Forum on Good Governance and Ethical Practices in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sector in Pakistan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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High Level Forum on Good Governance and Ethical Practices in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sector in Pakistan<\/strong>
Date: September 30, 2025<\/strong>
Venue: Marriott Hotel, Islamabad<\/strong><\/p>

On September 30, 2025, Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan), in collaboration with PatientsNotProfits \u2014 an initiative of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) \u2014 convened the first ever High Level Forum on Good Governance and Ethical Practices in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Sector in Pakistan at Marriott Hotel, Islamabad.<\/p>

The forum brought together regulators, policymakers, healthcare professionals, academia, pharmaceutical industry representatives, and civil society to develop a practical roadmap for addressing the unethical practices undermining Pakistan\u2019s healthcare system.<\/p>

The event opened with welcome remarks by Justice (retd.) Zia Perwez, Chairman of TI Pakistan and former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He emphasized that healthcare reform should not be a state led process alone, but must include the voices of healthcare professionals and other concerned stakeholders. His remarks set the tone for a collaborative and inclusive dialogue on reform.<\/p>

Dr. Obaidullah, CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), delivered the opening address. He candidly acknowledged the governance challenges facing lower middle income countries such as Pakistan, explaining that the creation of entities like DRAP and the provincial healthcare commissions was meant to foster a culture different from conventional bureaucracy. He highlighted DRAP\u2019s three fold role: ensuring safe and effective service delivery, building public trust in government, and upholding transparency, accountability, and ethics in the sector.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Presentation of Policy Recommendations<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The highlight of the first session was the presentation of draft policy recommendations by Prof. Mishal S. Khan (LSHTM) and Mr. Kashif Ali (Executive Director, TI Pakistan). Drawing on a research study conducted by LSHTM and AKU, Prof. Mishal shared evidence of widespread unethical practices in the healthcare sector. One striking finding revealed that 40 percent of surveyed doctors in Karachi accepted bribes from sales representatives of a completely fictitious pharmaceutical company \u2014 without verifying the company or the quality of medicines.<\/p>

The recommendations put forward included introducing a standardized curriculum covering health regulations and ethics, making Continuing Medical Education (CME) mandatory for relicensing, training pharmaceutical representatives in ethical marketing practices, establishing effective complaint procedures in healthcare systems, requiring public reporting by pharmaceutical companies, ensuring regulators publish actions taken against unethical practices, strengthening DRAP\u2019s capacity and enforcement powers, enforcing rules on marketing expenditure and reporting, and strengthening nutraceutical regulation.<\/p>

Following the presentation, participants shared reflections on the recommendations, keeping the forum interactive and policy driven. Stakeholders were encouraged to critically engage with the proposals, ensuring that diverse perspectives contributed to shaping the reform agenda.<\/p>

Moderated discussion 1: Policies for Professional Practice Standards and Capacity Building<\/strong><\/p>

The first panel discussions explored both professional practice standards and the regulatory environment, bringing together leading voices from government, medical associations, academia, and the pharmaceutical industry. Moderated first by Prof. Sameen Siddiqi (AKUH), the dialogue began with Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj (President, PMDC), who shared PMDC\u2019s recent progress in aligning Pakistan\u2019s medical education with World Federation of Medical Education standards, a milestone achieved in only seven months. He announced that Continuing Medical Education (CME) would soon become mandatory for the relicensing of more than 400,000 doctors, a step expected within the next 6 to 12 months. Adding a broader ethical dimension, Dr. Aamir Jafarey (SIUT) stressed the need for bioethics to be institutionalized as a core component of medical education, ensuring that doctors are not only technically competent but also trained to navigate the moral complexities of their profession. From the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Osman Waheed (PPMA) reflected on the challenge of ensuring ethical conduct across the 650 companies in Pakistan, of which only 250 are PPMA members. Acknowledging the limitations of self regulation, he announced that PPMA would establish an Ethics Committee to provide training and guidance on ethical marketing practices. Collectively, the panel underscored that while progress is being made within individual institutions, meaningful reform requires collaboration across sectors, stronger regulatory mechanisms, and sustained oversight.<\/p>

Moderated discussion 2: Strengthen Regulations and Their Implementation<\/strong><\/p>

The second phase of the discussion, moderated by Mr. Kashif Ali (TI Pakistan), shifted focus to regulation and enforcement. Dr. Noor Muhammad Shah (DRAP) emphasized the regulatory authority\u2019s strides since its inception in 2012, particularly in digitization and alignment with global benchmarks, but admitted that resource shortages continue to limit effective implementation. Dr. Zainab Hasan (SHCC) observed that while SHCC receives a steady flow of complaints, few are related to licensed doctors\u2019 practices; instead, most malpractice is perpetrated by unqualified quacks, underscoring the need for a comprehensive national framework that assigns clear responsibilities across institutions. Representing the pharmaceutical sector, Ms. Ayesha Tammy Haq (Pharma Bureau) called for consistent enforcement of existing rules, particularly the 10 percent cap on marketing expenditures, warning that while profit is necessary, profiteering undermines both ethics and public trust. She also criticized the longstanding underutilization of the Central Research Fund, which has been collected by DRAP since 1978. Rounding off the discussion, Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan (Health Services Academy) emphasized that healthcare delivery is a shared responsibility of both the public and private sectors, cautioning against political interference that unfairly targets frontline doctors rather than addressing systemic governance failures.<\/p>

Together, the discussions painted a clear picture: Pakistan\u2019s healthcare sector cannot rely solely on isolated reforms. Instead, it requires integrated strategies that combine ethical medical education, industry accountability, regulatory consistency, and cross sector collaboration to restore integrity and trust.<\/p>

Towards the end, Prof. Mishal S. Khan (LSHTM) delivered the summary of proceedings. She highlighted that the day\u2019s discussions had reaffirmed the urgency of tackling unethical practices through systemic reforms, stakeholder collaboration, and public accountability. A key outcome was the consensus to establish a formalized working group under DRAP\u2019s umbrella, with clear roles for regulators, professional associations, and industry stakeholders to ensure follow up and implementation of reforms.<\/p>

The closing remarks were delivered by Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, who commended the collaborative spirit of the forum and emphasized the importance of translating recommendations into action.<\/p>

The High Level Forum concluded with a networking lunch, providing space for participants to deepen exchanges and explore partnerships. Throughout the day, the event maintained an interactive and policy driven approach, ensuring that diverse voices contributed to shaping a collective roadmap for restoring integrity, transparency, and trust in Pakistan\u2019s healthcare sector.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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