{"id":122455,"date":"2025-07-22T09:13:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T04:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tns.world\/?p=122455"},"modified":"2025-07-22T09:13:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T04:13:49","slug":"islamabad-tns-pm-launches-digital-licensing-praises-drap-ceos-merit-based-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tns.world\/?p=122455","title":{"rendered":"Islamabad (TNS) PM launches digital licensing, praises DRAP CEO\u2019s merit-based appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Islamabad, July 21, 2025 (TNS): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday launched a new digital licensing and registration system for medical devices, calling it a major step toward transforming Pakistan\u2019s healthcare sector. He emphasized the need for a sector-wide revolution through unity, determination, and coordinated action by all stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Addressing the launch ceremony, the prime minister said the newly introduced digital platform would ensure a transparent, efficient, and merit-based registration process. Under the system, applications for medical equipment and service registration will now be processed within 20 days.<\/p>\n

Criticizing the historical inefficiencies of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the prime minister quipped, \u201cI used to call it \u2018Drag\u2019 instead of DRAP because it dragged the process not for months but for years \u2014 and we all know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to past failures, he recalled the 2012 Punjab Institute of Cardiology tragedy during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, where dozens of patients died due to substandard cardiovascular drugs. \u201cTests later revealed the medicines were intended for malaria, not heart patients \u2014 a result of DRAP\u2019s poor oversight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite these shortcomings, the prime minister praised the current DRAP leadership. \u201cThe appointment of the current CEO of DRAP was made purely on merit. He is a capable and professional individual, and I commend him and his team for this achievement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Shehbaz Sharif also credited Major General (retd) Azhar Mahmood Kayani for his transformational leadership at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, calling it an example of how dedication can uplift public health institutions.<\/p>\n

He further highlighted his past efforts in Punjab to improve healthcare delivery, including substantial budget allocations for free medicines during 2014\u201315. \u201cInitially, 60% of the drug samples were substandard, but strict enforcement ensured the provision of quality medicines. We also established laboratories across the province to serve the underprivileged,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Appreciating the work of Federal Health Minister Dr. Mustafa Kamal, the prime minister acknowledged his role in reviving closed hospitals and pushing forward health sector reforms. \u201cWhile the challenges are steep, they are not insurmountable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe may face mountain-sized obstacles, but with determination and hard work, progress is inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He expressed confidence that with collective efforts, Pakistan could achieve its rightful place among developed nations.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr. Mustafa Kamal said the new digital system would slash the registration period for medical devices \u2014 previously spanning several years \u2014 to just 20 days.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that the online process is fully automated and removes human interaction, enabling applicants to submit documents and receive certificates from home. \u201cThis initiative guarantees transparency, efficiency, and access to safe and high-quality medical devices,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

The minister also addressed broader healthcare issues such as rapid population growth and waterborne diseases. He reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to tackling these through public-private partnerships and a stronger primary healthcare network to ease pressure on major hospitals.<\/p>\n

Kamal added that the new system would cover the registration of all medical devices \u2014 from wheelchairs to MRI machines \u2014 marking a significant step in modernizing the regulatory landscape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Islamabad, July 21, 2025 (TNS): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday launched a new digital licensing and registration system for medical devices, calling it a major step toward transforming Pakistan\u2019s healthcare sector. He emphasized the need for a sector-wide revolution through unity, determination, and coordinated action by all stakeholders. Addressing the launch ceremony, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":122456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-islamabad","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=122455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122457,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122455\/revisions\/122457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/122456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=122455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=122455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tns.world\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=122455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}