ISLAMABAD : Syed Mustafa Kamal has revealed that around 1,300 children in Pakistan die every day due to malnutrition, highlighting the scale of the country’s healthcare and nutritional challenges.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Pak Pharma Healthcare Expo, Mustafa Kamal said companies associated with Pakistan’s healthcare system were progressing, while pharmaceutical industry exports increased by 38 percent last year.
He said no industry could develop without government support, adding that the prime minister and government were standing with the pharmaceutical industry and providing companies relief in various sectors.
The federal health minister said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had become 85 percent digital, which would help eliminate corruption in DRAP and other relevant institutions. He said a new system would be introduced in Pakistan on October 9 and effective checks and balances would be maintained on medicines.
Mustafa Kamal said only 22 drug inspectors were working for a population of nearly 250 million, describing it as a major challenge.
The federal health minister also reiterated his demand for the creation of new provinces, saying their establishment was an urgent need of the time. He said Pakistan’s population was around 35 million at the time of independence and the country had four provinces, while the population had now reached around 265 million but the number of provinces remained four.
He said the creation of new provinces would not weaken the country but would make it stronger.
Mustafa Kamal welcomed defence cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, saying the credit for the development went to Field Marshal Asim Munir, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister.
He said some disruptive elements were trying to malign the army as part of a deliberate conspiracy. He added that under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan had defeated a military six times larger than itself.
