Islamabad: A comprehensive survey of 500 medicine brands, covering nearly half of the non-essential medicines whose prices were deregulated during the caretaker government, has been completed to determine how much drug prices have increased after deregulation, and its report will be submitted within two weeks, the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services was told on Tuesday.
The development came during a meeting of the committee chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, where the Chief Executive Officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan briefed lawmakers on the pricing mechanism and the impact of deregulation of non essential medicines.
Officials said the regulator had earlier conducted a limited survey of 100 brands, but the scope was later expanded to 500 brands to generate more robust and representative data. The CEO DRAP informed the committee that the exercise has now been completed and the final report, which will quantify the percentage increase in medicine prices after deregulation, would be ready within two weeks.
The survey focuses on non essential medicines whose prices were deregulated during the caretaker setup, allowing pharmaceutical companies to set prices based on market dynamics. The committee had sought clarity on whether the policy led to significant price increases and how it impacted patients’ access to medicines.
Lawmakers stressed the need for evidence based policy decisions, noting that rising medicine prices remain a major concern for the public, particularly for patients requiring long term treatment.
During the same session, officials from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council gave a detailed briefing on the country’s medical workforce, admissions system and seat distribution for the 2026 academic session.
The committee was informed that Pakistan currently has around 386,000 registered medical practitioners and about 4,000 dental practitioners. Officials said the country now has more than one doctor per 1,000 population, indicating an improved doctor to population ratio, though disparities in distribution and training capacity persist.
According to the PMDC, the total number of MBBS and BDS seats across the country has reached 22,322. Of these, 12,440 seats are in private medical and dental colleges, while 9,882 seats are available in public sector institutions, reflecting the growing dominance of the private sector in medical education.
A provincial breakdown presented to the committee showed that Punjab accounts for more than 10,000 seats, followed by Sindh with 5,640 seats, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 3,354 seats, Islamabad with around 1,600 seats, and Balochistan with only 724 seats, highlighting regional disparities in access to medical education.
The committee was also briefed on the admission criteria, with officials stating that merit is currently determined through a combination of academic performance and entrance testing, including 10 percent weightage for matriculation, 40 percent for intermediate examinations, and 50 percent for the MDCAT entry test.
The issue of governance within the PMDC also came under discussion, as committee member Rubina Khalid raised concerns over the inclusion of private medical college owners on the regulatory body’s board, warning that it could lead to conflict of interest. In response, health officials argued that since private institutions constitute a significant portion of the sector, their representation is necessary.
The Federal Health Minister informed the committee that around 144,000 students appeared in the MDCAT examination this year, while only about 22,000 seats are available nationwide, leaving a large number of students without placement.
He said nearly 7,000 Pakistani students go abroad each year to pursue medical education, often enrolling in institutions with questionable standards, and a very small percentage are able to pass licensing examinations upon their return.
Terming it a matter of state responsibility, the minister suggested that the number of medical seats should be increased substantially, proposing an expansion from the current 22,000 to around 50,000 seats to accommodate growing demand.
The committee was further informed that several hundred seats remain vacant in certain colleges, particularly in Sindh, and inspections would be carried out to assess compliance with regulatory standards and utilisation of available capacity.
Officials also shared international comparisons, noting that countries such as India and Bangladesh have strict entry requirements, while Saudi Arabia follows a merit based formula combining academic scores and aptitude testing, indicating that Pakistan’s system is broadly aligned with global practices.
The meeting concluded with the committee seeking the early submission of the drug price survey report and emphasising the need for policy reforms both in medicine pricing and medical education to address affordability, access and quality challenges in the health sector.
Ends