Islamabad: Health and medication safety authorities in Pakistan have committed to tightening national systems for managing high-risk medicines and improving adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting across hospitals and health institutions.
The commitment was made during a two-day capacity-building workshop on Medication Safety and High-Risk Medication Management, jointly organised by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office Pakistan, and COMSTECH on June 25–26, 2025.
The initiative brought together key stakeholders from provincial health departments, pharmacovigilance centres, healthcare commissions, the Federal Directorate of Immunization, and major public and private hospitals. The objective was to align national efforts with global standards to reduce preventable harm linked to medication use and promote a culture of patient safety.
DRAP Chief Executive Officer Dr. Obaidullah also stressed the need for a proactive and coordinated response, urging healthcare institutions to adopt DRAP’s standardised reporting tools to monitor adverse drug reactions more effectively.
He emphasised that a robust national pharmacovigilance system is critical to safeguarding patient health and ensuring accountability across the medical supply chain.
WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Pakistan, Dr. Dapeng Luo, shared global insights and reiterated the urgency of addressing medication-related harm. Highlighting WHO’s third Global Patient Safety Challenge—“Medication Without Harm”—he called for sustained, cross-sectoral collaboration to reduce drug-related injuries and deaths, particularly in high-risk environments.
Sardar Shabbir Ahmed, Secretary Quality Control Board, Islamabad and Focal Person for Pharmacovigilance in Islamabad, delivered a keynote address during the event, calling for a comprehensive awareness campaign targeting the top management of both public and private hospitals.
He stressed that cultivating a culture of ADR reporting among healthcare professionals requires addressing misconceptions and fears associated with pharmacovigilance.
Citing current figures, he noted that out of approximately 65 hospitals operating in the federal capital, only five are actively reporting ADRs to the ICT Pharmacovigilance Cell—an unsatisfactory rate given that medication-related harm occurs in all establishments where medicines are administered. In the absence of a strong pharmacovigilance (PV) system, such incidents remain undocumented and unaddressed, he warned.
Institutions including Shifa International Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, and Bacha Khan Medical Complex were applauded for their continued leadership in implementing medication safety protocols. Provincial pharmacovigilance centres from Punjab and Islamabad also received recognition for strengthening ADR monitoring mechanisms.
Participants unanimously agreed to enhance institutional procedures for medication safety, expand awareness campaigns, and scale up ADR reporting to ensure a more resilient and safer healthcare system. These measures, officials noted, will not only protect patients but also reduce the pressure on Pakistan’s overstretched health infrastructure.
With renewed commitment and cross-institutional resolve, Pakistan’s health and regulatory bodies move a step closer to a national healthcare system where medication safety is embedded into everyday clinical practice.
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