The more things change in Pakistan, the more they stay the same. This can sometimes be quite frustrating for Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Chairman of Highnoon Laboratories, who approaches his pharmaceutical business as a means to improve the quality of life of patients and their families, especially the ones facing serious or life-threatening illnesses like cancer.

After lobbying with the policymakers for years to improve the access of such patients to morphine and opioid analgesia — an essential part of palliative care through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of controlling pain — he has to give up because the policymakers just aren’t ready yet.

Palliative care is recognised under the human right to health. In fact, Human Rights Watch advocates for universal access to palliative care because no one should suffer from treatable pain, the chairman told Dawn in an interview. Patients may receive palliative care along with treatment intended to cure their illnesses, which is not limited to end-of-life care.

“The biggest hurdle to palliative care in Pakistan is the unavailability of morphine. Only the Shaukat Khanum Cancer & Research Hospital has permission to deliver morphine [to its patients]. I lobbied with the previous government and made documentaries featuring patients suffering from huge amounts of pain to increase awareness among the public, policymakers, and health professionals about palliative care.

‘New government regulations and policies are pushing the pharmaceutical sector in the right direction’

“But I couldn’t........

© Dawn Business