ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has officially launched the Digital System for Licensing and Registration of Medical Devices, enabling the registration process to be completed online within 20 days.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the ceremony on Monday, stressed the need to bring about revolution in the healthcare sector with coordinated efforts and determination by all the stakeholders.
Regretting the inordinate delays in the registration process of medical services in the past, the prime minister referred to Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) as “Drag, not DRAP, as it was dragging the process not for months but for years. The reasons were known to all.”
Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing issues in the health sector, recalled that during his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab, he had sent samples of certain cardiovascular drugs abroad for testing following reports of multiple deaths at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.
He added that subsequent reports from London and other sources revealed the drugs were intended to treat malaria, not heart conditions, and that the matter had not been properly handled by DRAP.
The Prime Minister expressed the confidence that Pakistan has the talent to bring a revolution in the medical field.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal said that contrary to earlier long periods of registration process, they had reduced the time through an online digitisation system spanning over 20 days.
He said the system would be free from any human contact as the certificates would be available online without visiting DRAP.
He said that all the efforts made in the health sector indicated the intent and the vision of the incumbent government under the leadership of the prime minister.
The registration and licensing of everything from wheelchairs to MRI machines would be done online.
Citizens could submit online applications from home to obtain registration and licensing of medical devices, he added.
