Pakistan imposes blanket ban on reusable syringes

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Health, Pakistan has decided to enforce a blanket ban on used syringes, an official notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

Unsafe injection practices, including excessive use of therapeutic injections and reuse of syringes, Therapeutic injections are commonly sought and administered in Pakistan and are often unnecessary, says a report on the issue in the Journal Of Pakistan Medical Association.

The law will ensure syringe manufacturers do not produce apparatus that can be re-used.

The order will take effect from June, after June all syringes that are being reused in any shape or form will be confiscated and destroyed.

Import of reusable syringes is also being banned after implementation of the orders.

Earlier on November 2, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services, Dr Zafar Mirza has said that the federal government has planned to introduce auto-disable syringes next year for reducing infections and diseases caused by repeated use of syringes.

He said the government was taking every possible step to ensure universal health coverage, adding that giving priority to the health sector was govt’s top priority.

“By the end of the first quarter of next year, we hope to completely eliminate disposable syringes in the private sector hospitals and replace them with auto-lock syringes.”