ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday announced to defer increase in medicine prices. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) postponed summaries which were provided by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.
The summaries were related to the fixation of MPR for 54 new medicines and the proposed increase in prices of 119 medicines.
ECC has postponed making a decision on these matters, and they may be taken up for consideration at a later date.
Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the ECC meeting in which he considered the summary related to the maximum retail price of Remdesivir 100mg injection. The ECC decided not to increase the price of the injection and to maintain the existing MRP of Rs1,892 per vial.
The ECC approved the summary presented by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division)related to the arrangement of a finance facility for funding the Government of Baluchistan’s share of obligations in the Reko-Diq project dispute settlement.
The ECC directed the Finance Division to arrange for the payment of markup amounting to Rs6,238,358,879 for the period between March 31, 2022, to December 30, 2022, to the NBP for the short-term finance facility of Rs65 billion.
In addition, the ECC also deferred a summary presented by the Ministry of Aviation concerning the engagement of the International Finance Corporation as a transaction advisor for the outsourcing of three airports.
Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan, Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr. Aisha Ghous Pasha, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Masood Malik, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and MNA/SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha were among the attendees at the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by SAPM on Government Effectiveness Dr. Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan, Coordinator to the PM on Economy Bilal Azhar Kayani, Coordinator to PM on Commerce and Industry Rana Ihsan Afzal, federal secretaries, and other senior officers.
