The National Institute of Health (NIH) has imposed a ban on sponsored foreign tours for doctors and hospital staff by private companies.
The NIH has sent a letter to federal government-run hospitals, banning sponsored foreign trips for doctors and hospital staff by pharmaceutical companies.
“I’m directed to refer to the subject cited above and to say that in future all requests of Ex-Pakistan leave forwarded to this Ministry shall be accompanied by an affidavit by the concerned officers that their foreign visits are not for attending conferences/seminars and that the visit is not sponsored by any private company/donor etc,” stated the institute in the letter.
In a separate development, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has recently introduced a new code of conduct for pharmaceutical companies and doctors.
DRAP has officially announced the new regulations for pharmaceutical companies and doctors following approval from the federal government.
According to the notification, pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from covering travel expenses for family members and other individuals accompanying doctors.
The notification has made it clear that doctors will not be given the costs of foreign travel unless they obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their respective institutions.