Essential Medicines and Technology

Health sector technologies have not been introduced through a needs assessment process, leading to unchecked misuse. The current mechanisms to determine the appropriateness of health supplies, diagnostics, medicines, and laboratory reagents are not evidence-based. Strengthening of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and capacity development for health technology assessment (HTA) utilizing pharmaco -economics, -epidemiology, and -vigilance is on the cards.