No unregistered medicines procured for govt hospitals: Mustafa Kamal

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th May, 2026) Federal Minister for National Health Services, Mustafa Kamal, on Wednesday told the National Assembly that no medicine could be procured for government hospitals without approval and regulation by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

Responding to questions during question hour, the minister said all medicines purchased for public hospitals were procured strictly under DRAP regulations and only drugs registered and approved by the authority could be included in procurement tenders.

He said the medicines were also subjected to random testing and quality checks even after procurement to ensure standards and authenticity.

Mustafa Kamal said there was a complete mechanism in place to prevent the entry of counterfeit medicines into government hospitals, adding that no fake medicine was registered with DRAP.

However, he invited lawmakers to share any specific case of counterfeit medicines so that action could be taken after proper investigation.

Responding to a supplementary question, the minister expressed concern over illegal practices by some nursing colleges, adding that certain institutions were admitting students without approval from the relevant nursing council.

He said such colleges collected hefty fees from students and, after teaching them for several years, brought students before authorities seeking retrospective legalization of their admissions.

The minister clarified that nursing colleges were required to obtain approval through a proper inspection and registration process before enrolling students.

<?php /*?> <?php */?>

He warned that the government would no longer be responsible for students taking admission in unregistered nursing colleges.

Mustafa Kamal said the list of unregistered institutions had already been uploaded on the official website and urged students and parents to verify whether a nursing college was recognized and regulated before seeking admission.

He also appealed to parliamentarians to help identify illegal nursing colleges operating in their Constituencies and report such institutions to the authorities.

Replying to another supplementary question, the minister said Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was continuing routine vaccination campaigns against 13 diseases, including the newly introduced cervical cancer vaccine campaign.

He said the World Health Organization had declared Pakistan’s cervical cancer vaccination campaign “green,” indicating over 90 percent performance and success rate.

The minister acknowledged that the campaign initially faced challenges due to misconceptions and negative propaganda on social media, but said the government successfully turned public opinion in favour of vaccination through awareness efforts.

He said girls aged around nine years were being administered the vaccine and assured the House that complete data and details regarding the campaign would be shared with lawmakers.

APP/tsw-sra