ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed health authorities to enforce a strict ban on substandard syringes across the country to curb the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.
Chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad, the Prime Minister reviewed ongoing measures to prevent communicable diseases. To ensure public health safety, he mandated the ban on substandard syringes and ordered authorities to initiate immediate legal action against individuals and hospitals demonstrating criminal negligence in disease prevention.
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To implement the ban on substandard syringes effectively, PM Shehbaz Sharif instructed officials to form a special committee comprising medical experts. He emphasized that this committee must actively consult with all provincial governments while drafting a comprehensive national healthcare strategy.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to collaborate with relevant institutions and propose necessary amendments to the existing legal and regulatory framework.
Simultaneously, he tasked the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to consult the medical device industry and submit targeted policy recommendations to strengthen the ban on substandard syringes nationwide.
