The caretaker Minister for Health Doctor Nadeem Jan has taken notice of the sale of non-registered and banned disposable syringes across the country.
The minister has directed relevant officials to initiate action against the manufacturing, import, and sale of banned conventional disposable syringes. Furthermore, the minister has ordered that the stock of such syringes should be seized and legal action must be taken against the culprits.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has issued orders to field offices and provincial health departments in this regard. Dr Nadeem Jan said that the repeated usage of traditional syringes could lead to various diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS.
He added that a national task force is conducting raids nationwide to curb the use of such syringes. “A coordinated strategy has been devised to stop the distribution of unregistered medicines across the country,” the health minister said.
It should be noted that a report in December 2022 by the US Centre for Disease Analysis (CDA) uncovered worrying statistics about the number of hepatitis C patients in Pakistan.
According to the report, Pakistan has the highest number of hepatitis C patients in the world, surpassing China, India, and Nigeria. The report identified the reuse of needles and syringes as one of the main reasons for the spread of hepatitis C in Pakistan.
