CEO of DRAP: Who and When?

ISLAMABAD, March 13 (Daily Dawn) : 

The federal government on Tuesday appointed Syed Arshad Ali, an additional secretary, as the chief executive officer of the newly-established Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in violation of the spirit of the ordinance under which the regulatory body was established, Dawn has learnt.


The DRAP was set up in the wake of the deaths of over 100 people due to adverse drug reaction in Lahore, mainly after intervention of the Supreme Court which directed the government to establish the authority.
A senior official of the government said Mr Ali, a district management group officer, was working as executive director in State Life Corporation, Karachi.


The ordinance stated: “The federal government may appoint a person as CEO who has a postgraduate degree in pharmacy, public health or medicine with a minimum of 20 years experience in pharmacy services, public health, management or regulatory affairs from either public or private sector.
The term of appointment will be for a period of three years and extendable for one tenure period only.”


The ordinance further said: “The head of the agency shall discharge such duties and perform such functions as are assigned to him by or under this ordinance or as may be prescribed (by the government).”
A source attached with the division looking after the affairs of drugs added that Mr Ali’s appointment was not as per the ordinance. “Mr Ali is a DMG officer and this is not business as usual, instead linked with regulation of drugs industry which has around 700 pharmaceutical companies in the country. Expertise and technical knowledge will be a key to resolving major issues of licensing, pricing and registration.”


According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division: “All the staff and officers of the Drug Control Wing have been transferred to DRAP with immediate effect.”


Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts, spokesman for the Cabinet Division Omar Ahmed could not be contacted for comments.
A senior official of the division, however, told Dawn that a notification had been issued regarding the ad hoc appointment of Syed Arshad Ali for three months. “Mr Ali is a respectable official of the 9th common (batch of DMG).”
He said there was nothing wrong with the appointment. “The posting is within the defined framework of the government rules for appointment on such positions.”


He said it was a stopgap arrangement and the post would be filled with an individual having requisite qualification.
“Please don’t attach any controversy with this matter since an advertisement for appointment of a CEO will be published by Wednesday and we will be hiring the best individual from the market on merit.”










Business Recorder is of the opinion that:

The government has appointed Syed Arshad Ali, Joint Secretary of the Cabinet as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) for a temporary period of three months in order to regulate the registration and manufacturing of drugs according to the Drugs Act of 1976.

Well-placed sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that subsequent to the death of around 117 heart patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) there was dire need to establish a body that could regulate and monitor drug related issues.

"The sad incidence of PIC compelled all the four provinces to pass a resolution in favour of establishment of a DRA.

Therefore, the President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated an ordinance on February 16 to form the DRA", sources added.

"But after the promulgation of the Ordinance, the appointment of a CEO was necessary as per the Drugs Act 1976.

Earlier, the government decided not to allow the import or export of medicines until and unless a CEO is appointed as the head of the Authority to regulate the licensing and registration of the drugs under the Act.

But this led to an increase in the price of medicines in the domestic market as hoarding of the medicines especially the life saving drugs, vaccines, expensive medicines of cancer and HIV AIDS began", sources revealed.

Sources said that keeping in view the increasing prices of medicines in the local market; the government allowed their import and export and also decided to appoint a CEO as well for a temporary period of three months.

The medicine responsible for the deaths in PIC was generating an unknown chemical in the body that was deposited in the bone marrow and resulted in eliminating the body's resistance.

That led to an end to the generation of white blood cells in the body as well as a severe chest infection.

(http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1165427/ )





















The Daily Jang Karachi March 22, 2012.

My Opinion:

Mr Arshad Ali nominated CEO of DRAP may be and he is highly competent DMG officer, but would it not be better if an officer from former ministery of health pharma division was given the said responsibility.

He has been nominated for 3 months, whereas, the advertiement for the CEO says, applications will be entertained till March 30, 2012.

To my understanding, it will take further more period of say 15 days to finalize the name of new CEO, and GOD knows will it be finalized or not.

I hope and pray that DRAP become functional as soon as possible, but what i see is........an old ad hoc policy.