The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Monday demanded reduction in medicine prices while observing that prices of medicines have reached beyond the purchase power of common man.
An adjournment motion submitted by Humera Khatoon, Sirajuddin and Inayatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami said inflation had already made the lives miserable for poor people while on the other hand the rates of medicines were increasing continually. They said that most of the people regularly use the medicines for diabetes, blood pressure, cardiac and other diseases.
Parliamentary leader of ANP, Sardar Hussain Babak said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not only facing the issue of expensive medicines but also the facing prolonged power and gas loadshedding despite oil and gas generating province of the country. Naeema Kishawar of JUIF said that prices of medicines had increased manifold during PTI government in the federation. Parliamentary Leader of Balochistan Awami Party Bilawal Afridi said that the people of merged districts were deprived of their basic rights. He said that the government and opposition should work for the welfare of people and betterment of the province. Ikhtiar Wali of PMLN said mafias were involved in increasing medicine prices and blamed PTI’s government for it, adding a cousin of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chairman Board of Governors Dr Nausherwan Burki should be inquired in this regard.
Minister for Labour Shaukat Ali Yousafzai claimed that PTI government provided huge relief in the medical sector including free of cost medicines and health-card facility. He said that due to corona pandemic, all the machinery was stopped but the government did historical works for the welfare of people. Shaukat said that former Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to bring the country out of economic crisis but unfortunately he was not allowed to complete his tenure. He said the rate of dollar and petrol crossed double century soon after Imran Khan was forced to quit the government. He said that the PTI leadership has decided to start long march from May 25 to provide relief to people. Later, the chair Mahmood Jan adjourned the assembly proceedings till May 30.
