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Committee formed to monitor medication errors, NA told

Asim Yasin
Friday, Jan 17, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that procedure for monitoring medication errors and the use of medicines was being implemented.

Replying to the question of Aliya Kamran during Question Hour in the National Assembly here, Parliamentary Secretary Nelson Azeem stated that that committees had been formed in the relevant institutions on medication errors and the committees’ report would be submitted to the Ministry of Health in the provinces, then to the Centre and then to the World Health Organisation.

He said the government had appointed pharmacists in every pharmacy and hospital who do the work of monitoring and they also inform people about the duration of use of medicines.

However, people continue to use such medicines on their own, due to which immunity against medicines weakens.

In a written reply, the Ministry of National Health and Regulation stated that medication errors and adverse drug reactions might occur by any healthcare professional.

The Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) resulting due to medication errors are reported to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) as per Pharmacovigilance Rules, 2022.

As of today, 52025 ADRs including medication errors have been reported via the VigiFlow database from registration holders, provincial health departments, patients, healthcare professionals, public health programmes and hospitals.

It stated that DRAP was strengthening pharmacovigilance across Pakistan with the help of the World Health Organisation.

Details of reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs)/medication errors reported with drugs and vaccines are as under: 32,186 from the Federal Directorate of Immunization, 790 from Punjab Pharmacovigilance Centre, 677 from Islamabad Pharmacovigilance Centre, each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pharmacovigilance Centre and AJK and Gilgit Baltistan and 403 through E-Reporting and Mobile App from Patients and Healthcare Professionals 17,968 from Pharma Companies.

These ADR/ Medication errors were minor to major range including the effects on the eye by Avastin injection.

Provincial Drugs (Sale) Rules make it mandatory to have a Qualified Person at each Pharmacy/Medical store.

The government bodies like the Provincial Health Departments and DRAP and professional organizations like the Pakistan Pharmacist Association (PPA) and Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Associations (PPMA) can advocate and ensure the integration of pharmacists in the healthcare system.

DRAP has undertaken the following steps in this regard: DRAP has notified Pharmacovigilance Rules, 2022 which provides for “at least one Pharmacovigilance Officer (Pharmacist or Doctor) must be notified at the level of a two hundred-bedded hospital.