Afghan government disrupts medicine market after Pakistan ban

Afghanistan – (Web Desk) – Afghanistan’s recent push to reform its medicine market aimed to improve quality and encourage local production, but experts say the rapid changes have created serious challenges. In November, the Taliban announced plans to end the country’s long-standing reliance on medicine imports from Pakistan, following deadly border clashes.

After the ban took effect this month, Finance Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qayoom Naseer told AFP that importers were urged to find “alternative and legal” suppliers to replace Pakistani shipments. Despite a three-month transition period to finish existing contracts and clear customs, the shift is proving difficult for a country that previously relied on Pakistan for more than half its medicines.

“Some prices have risen, some medicines are now unavailable, and people are facing many problems,” said Kabul pharmacist Mujeeb Ullah Afzali. Medicines now have to come from other countries, increasing transit times, transport costs, and logistical complications. Afzali said he had started importing drugs through the Iran-Afghanistan Islam Qala border crossing, which raised transportation fees by 10 to 15 percent. Previously, transport costs made up six to seven percent of total medicine expenses, but now they account for 25 to 30 percent, according to a pharmaceutical industry insider speaking anonymously.

He estimated that the overall losses to business owners had already reached millions of dollars.

“If a medicine was short in the market before, a call was made to Pakistan, and the medicine was delivered in two to three days,” he said. Whether legally or not, it was “delivered quickly”, he added.
The illicit trade in pharmaceuticals was a key driver for the overhaul, according to the health ministry.

“The biggest problem with Pakistani medicine was that we used to receive counterfeit and fake medicines,” ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told AFP.

He acknowledged it will take some time to shift the market, saying that officials were working with Iran, India, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Turkey, China and Belarus to source medicine.

“India was second in the market, which means that now, through Indian medicines, we can cover the percentage needed,” Zaman said.

And domestic production of 600 medicines has “solved the problems” of many patients, he said.

Afghanistan already produces a variety of serums including antibiotics, according to manufacturer Milli Shifa Pharmaceutical.

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The company makes 100,000 bottles daily and “can double the capability” if demand merits, CEO Nasar Ahmad Taraki told AFP.

While Afghanistan has significantly expanded its pharmaceutical sector, domestic output still only meets a small fraction of the overall demand.

The industry source told AFP that the need to import raw materials, the high energy costs and limited infrastructure mean the country cannot be entirely self-sufficient in medicine production.

“If we are provided with the facilities, then we would be able to fill the gap created by Pakistan’s situation,” he said.
But reshaping an industry nationwide takes more than three months.

Some drugs made in Afghanistan have proven more expensive than those imported from Pakistan, which over the years have gained consumers’ trust.

Some people believe that “if they use Pakistani medicine, they will be cured” — but not if it came from India “or any other country”, the industry source said.

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Physicians, meanwhile, are also struggling, a healthcare provider in Kabul told AFP.

Doctors “must change prescriptions, find suitable alternatives, and spend additional time adjusting treatment plans”, he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

The shake-up, which ultimately is meant to end reliance on Pakistan, is complicating care in the short term and could delay treatment, he warned.

“Patients face medicine shortages, frequent switches to alternative products, and sometimes higher costs.”