The chairman of the committee also expressed displeasure over absence of secretary of the ministry in the meeting and delay in provision of the briefing papers to the committee. "If the briefing papers are not timely provided to the committee next time, the issue will be brought into the notice of the chairman Senate," Turi said.
The committee has also asked chief commissioner Islamabad to attend next meeting of the committee and brief it about the measures taken so far to curb smoking in the premises of the educational institutions.
"The future of the coming generation will be at risk if the use of smoking and drugs is not curbed within the premises of the educational institutions," the committee chairman said. The ministry officials informed the committee members that sale of cigarettes at public places and within the premises of the educational institutions is prohibited under the law. The ministry has written letters to Higher Education Commission and Federal Directorate of Education following reports of smoking and use of the drugs in the schools, colleges and universities.
The chairman of the committee said that tobacco industry deposits billions of rupees in taxes each year, but the government is getting nothing in taxes from duty-free and smuggled cigarettes that are being sold openly in the market. Quoting a report of Federal Board of Revenue, the ministry officials said that 82 per cent of the tobacco companies in the country are legal while 18 per cent are working illegally.
The committee members also recommended Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to make sure that 10 per cent of the total time on electronic media should be given for awareness campaign against smoking. A representative of Sheikh Zaid Hospital informed the committee members that liver transplantation of 100 patients was done in the hospital out of which 30 patients were from Punjab province.
The committee was informed that government of Punjab pays Rs 3.5 million for the liver transplantation of each patient admitted in the hospital while it costs around Rs 600, 000 for kidney transplantation. The chairman of the committee constituted a sub-committee to discuss "The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (amendment) Bill, 2016" in detail.
Senator Mian Ateeq Shaikh pointed out that the minister for national health services had assured to brief the Senate and this standing committee regarding price hike of medicines, but she failed to fulfil the promise. He also pointed out that pharmaceutical companies have increased prices of the medicines by 8 per cent despite the fact that prices of raw material and salt have gone down in the market.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017