Purpose-build building for Drap to be finally constructed.

ISLAMABAD -- After resolving issues with the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has finally decided to discuss the issue of constructing a purpose-build building for itself in the next meeting of the policy board.

'We have cleared almost Rs5 million which we owed to NIH for land, and now it has been decided to start construction of the building at the earliest,' Drap Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Asim Rauf told Dawn.

He said modalities have been finalised and a company, which has already built a number of public-sector buildings, has been contacted.

Successive health ministers had claimed that they would build the building, but not even its foundation stone was laid. It is hoped that once the multi-storey building is constructed, controversies regarding drug-related issues would be addressed. Moreover Drap will be able to save over Rs5 million per month which is being paid as rent for the present building in G-9. The new building, having six or seven storeys, will be constructed on a 20-kanal plot allocated at NIH.

The authority had been funtioning in rented building in G-9

After the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010, the health sector became a provincial subject and Drug Registration Board became defunct. A registration board was established again under Drap Act 2012. The authority started working in different offices, some of them were in C Block of Pak Secretariat, where only ministries were allowed to have offices. The authority's management was under immense pressure to vacate the buildings. Some of the offices of Drap were even located in a rented building in Blue Area.

An official of Drap, requesting not to be quoted, said that in early 2013 it was decided that a building should be hired to shift all offices in one place. A building spread over 30,000 square feet was then rented for Rs4.6 million in G-9. The building's rent increased over the years. However, Drap came under severe criticism for spending such a high amount from the exchequer on rent.

In view of the criticism, the then NHS minister, Saira Afzal Tarar, in July 2014 announced that a process would be started to acquire 20 kanals to construct a...

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