Standing Committee on Health Reviews Medical Admissions, Drug Quality, Digital Health Records and HPV Campaign
Islamabad : Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) held its meeting at Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, MNA, to review key policy, regulatory and service delivery issues within the health sector.
Committee appreciated the continued engagement of the Minister for NHSR&C and reiterated the Committee’s role is to provide constructive input for improvement, rather than criticism. While reviewing the implementation status of previous recommendations, the Committee held an extensive discussion on issues arising from medical and dental college admissions, particularly the validity period of MDCAT results, seat switching and the growing number of vacant seats. The Minister for health stated that changes in PMDC bylaws were being proposed, including addressing the three-year validity issue and restricting seat switching, to ensure admissions were drawn from the current examination cycle.
Members expressed concern that vacant seats, particularly in dental colleges, continue to remain unfilled. Vice Chancellors of various universities highlighted that frequent seat switching results in wastage of academic years and adversely affected medical and dental institutions. The Chairman emphasized that the Committee had previously allowed time for consultation with Vice Chancellors and sought data on how many seats had remained vacant over recent years due to the extended validity period.
Committee noted provincial variations, including Balochistan’s waiting-list–based admissions mechanism and Islamabad’s upgradation process limited to first-year students. The Chairman observed that legislative amendments would be required to permanently resolve seat switching and validity issues and directed the Ministry to consult the Ministry of Law and Justice and provide guidance within one week on interim measures for the current year students. The Minister briefed the Committee on steps being taken to regulate admissions in foreign medical institutions, noting concerns over financial outflows and standards. It was stated that only PMDC-recognized and accredited foreign institutions would be enlisted and shared with the Committee after detailed surveys. The NRE-related matters would be discussed in the next meeting to ensure transparency and standards in examinations.
Committee discussed concerns regarding the 30 percent discount on medicines provided at parliamentarians’ dispensaries and raised questions about their efficacy and quality. The CEO DRAP informed the Committee that sampling reports from PIMS and Polyclinic had been prepared and would be shared. Members emphasized that procurement should prioritize quality alongside price and DRAP was directed to ensure efficacy verification and review tendering processes accordingly. The Committee was also briefed on DRAP’s initiative to introduce a 2D barcode system for medicine verification through QR scanning to authenticate products and curb counterfeit drugs.
Addressing concerns regarding the winding up of multinational pharmaceutical companies, the Minister clarified that these decisions were part of global corporate restructuring, noting that essential medicines, including insulin, were being imported through alternative arrangements and that no shortage currently existed. Regarding the HIV/AIDS survey and UNAIDS concerns, the Minister announced the formation of a technical working group to investigate issues related to kit availability and testing accuracy, with findings to be submitted to the Committee.
Committee also reviewed progress on the “One Patient, One ID” initiative at PIMS. It was noted that only six of the twenty-eight planned modules are currently operational, with further development underway by NITB. The Minister described the initiative as part of the broader Universal Medical Record (UMR) system, with NADRA’s support already secured.
Committee discussed the Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (moved by Syed Rafiullah, MNA). The Hon. Minister informed Members that provincial nominations had been completed and that the matter was pending final notification. The Chairman acknowledged the Ministry’s efforts and suggested approaching the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to expedite the process, noting that delays were affecting institutional registrations. The Committee also deliberated proposed amendments relating to parliamentary representation in the Council and directed that the matter be shared with the Ministry of Law and Justice for legal opinion. A joint meeting of Senate and National Assembly members was proposed to build consensus on the Bill.
Committee held candid discussion on the Short Notice Question No. 1 (moved by Shaista Pervaiz, MNA) regarding the HPV vaccination campaign, with Members highlighting coordination gaps between federal and provincial authorities, limited engagement of tertiary hospitals, and low uptake among private school students. The Minister acknowledged communication challenges and stated that the campaign was implemented phase-wise, initially covering Punjab, Sindh and ICT. The Minister shared that refusal rates initially reached 70 percent, but improved following enhanced engagement and awareness, including endorsements from UNICEF, WHO and DRAP. Members were invited to provide suggestions to further strengthen outreach and public trust. This matter was disposed off after the satisfactory reply from the Minister for NHSR&C.
Pending issues related to mental health practitioners, Allied health professional council (AHPC), the Islamabad Healthcare regulatory Authority (IHRA), ultra processing food labelling were reviewed. The Minister directed relevant officials to urgently follow up and resolve outstanding concerns, with IHRA scheduled to be taken up in the next meeting. The Committee also noted austerity-related restrictions on treatment abroad, clarifying that only officials posted overseas and covered by insurance may avail medical check-ups abroad. The Chairman reiterated that the Committee remains committed to strengthening governance, transparency, and service delivery in the health sector through collaborative and solution-oriented oversight.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Farah Naz Akbar, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Sabheen Ghoury, Dr. Darshan, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Dr. Shaista Khan and Shaista Pervaiz, MNA/Mover. The Minister for NHSR&C, Senior officials from the Ministry of NHSR&C, PMDC, DRAP and the Vice Chancellors of medical universities also participated both physically and online.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
